"but who the heck are buying them at what miust be the bottom of the market, with the glut of equipment available.?"
Chile seem to have the knack of picking up a bargain, the aussies have just bought Largs bay for half of what it cost to build.
apparently these cougars are due a mid life update anyway and are due to be replaced by nh-90 in the medium tearm so this may just be a "capability holiday" if a pretty big one!