[3] Accordingly, for military equipment to be developed entirely or partially in Romania to bolster the nation's self-reliance was desirable, while partnerships with third party countries were also sought for the supply of large-ticket items.

Accordingly, on 11 October 1973, the Sikorsky S-61 was formally pitched to a group of Romanian representatives, which included a test flight performed at Băneasa Airport.

Between 13 and 15 October of that same month, a presentation at the Romanian aerospace manufacturer Întreprinderea de Construcții Aeronautice's (IAR) facility at Ghimbav.

A separate agreement was also signed to undertake the licensed production of the Turboméca Turmo IVC turboshaft engines that powered the type.

[1] Quantity production of the type proceeded shortly thereafter; by 1980, around 25 IAR 330s had reportedly been produced, with the deliveries evenly divided between domestic and overseas customers.

[5] By 2010, around 163 of these helicopters have reportedly been built, 104 of which were delivered to the air wings of the Romanian military, while two were retained by the manufacturer and a further 57 were produced for various export operators.

[6] Furthermore, specialised variants of the helicopter were developed for roles such as naval warfare, search and rescue (SAR), command & control, and medevac operations, typically being produced in limited numbers.

[9][10] During the 1990s, the Romanian Air Force sought to enhance the combat capabilities of its IAR 330L fleet to make it into a universal anti-tank and support helicopter.

The helicopter is in a similar configuration to the Romanian Air Force variant, including the SOCAT upgrade package; however, the Navy rotorcraft are equipped with RDR-1700A on-board radar, flotation gear housed underneath the nose and main undercarriage fairings and can carry Sting Ray torpedoes.