NAPLES, Italy --- Two 'Puma' helicopters transferred 120 pallets of cargo from the deck of combat stores ship USNS Sirius to USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on March 15-moving everything the giant carrier needs to sustain itself without pulling into port…from fresh food to spare parts.

But, what is the Puma? CH-46 'Sea Knight' helicopters are typically used for this type of operation. Well, no longer…the Puma has moved in- supporting U.S. Sixth Fleet ships in the Mediterranean since February of this year.

"The aircraft is a work-horse and so far the reviews have been stellar," said Sirius' master Capt. Bill Thomas, a civilian-mariner working for the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command. The aircraft performed its first vertical replenishment operations with USS John Hancock on Feb. 8.

The French-built SA-330J Puma helicopter, under contract from GEO-SEIS Corp., of Ft. Collins, Colorado, is contracted to replace the Navy's aging fleet of CH-46 Sea Knights aboard three Atlantic fleet combat stores ships, beginning with Sirius.

Recently, one of these Puma's paid a visit to Naval Support Activity, Capodichino, Naples, Italy, where Adm. James O. Ellis, USN, Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe, and Vice Adm. Daniel J. Murphy, USN, Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet, had a first-hand look.

Adm. Ellis visited with the crew and sat in the cockpit on the 'Capo' flightline on March 22. The next day, Vice Adm. Murphy took an even closer look-flying in the aircraft from Gaeta to Naples.

Pilot Larry Williams, an ex-U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot, said the Puma has many unique capabilities, which makes it ideal for this type of mission. Puma's can out-lift the Sea Knight and has better fuel-efficiency.

"While other helicopters refuel, we're still moving cargo," Williams said. Maintenance for Puma's is less complex than the CH-46 due to the aircraft's design-an engine can be replaced in just one hour, according to Cdr. Al Alabata, USN, program manager for commercial helicopters at MSC headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The aircraft is also well suited for vertical replenishment operations. Using a series of mirrors located at the bottom of the aircraft, pilots can easily pinpoint drop positions for cargo pallets.

"We don't need a lot of room to work with," said pilot Rich Houghton. The helicopter can carry up to 7,000 pounds of cargo.

Houghton, a retired U.S. Army pilot who served two tours in Vietnam, said these type of helicopters also do a variety of work in the private sector-including construction, oil exploration, and fire-fighting. (FROM MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND-EUROPE).