The Tiger sharpens

The Tiger sharpens its claws

By Ian Kemp

Airbus Helicopters returned the first of 36 Tiger HAPs upgraded to the HAD configuration in December 2017. © Airbus Helicopters

Airbus is expecting a contract to develop a mid-life update for the Tiger attack helicopter for France, Germany and Spain, and is hoping to persuade Australia to join the project. Ian Kemp reports

Airbus Helicopters reached two significant milestones in its Tiger attack helicopter programme in early 2020. The last of 18 Tiger HAD helicopters for the Spanish Army was delivered on 14 January. Less than a month later, on 5 February 2020, the last serial production Tiger HAD helicopter for the French Army was delivered at Marignane, France. These deliveries finished the order book for new-built Tigers.

Airbus Helicopters has produced 185 Tigers in UH, HAP, HAD and ARH configurations for the three European nations - France, Germany, and Spain - and Australia, the only export customer for the multirole attack helicopter. Over the coming years Airbus Helicopters will be upgrading the European helicopters to a new Tiger Mk III mid-life update (MLU) configuration and hopes to do the same for Australia.

Airbus Helicopters has built 80 Tigers for France, 22 for Spain and 68 for Germany. © Airbus Helicopters

France and West Germany signed a declaration of intent in March 1987 to develop a multirole attack helicopter as an alternative to buying the American AH-64 Apache. Germany’s original plan was to buy 212 UHT (Unterstützungshubschrauber Tiger) Tiger Support Helicopters, while the French Army wanted 215 helicopters in two configurations - 140 Tiger HAP (Hélicoptère d’Appui Protection) Support and Escort Helicopters and 75 HAC (Hélicoptère Anti Char) Anti-tank Helicopters. Both countries regarded the project as an opportunity to consolidate their helicopter industries and France’s Aerospatiale and Germany’s MBB received equal shares in the development contracts signed in November 1989. Three years later the Eurocopter Group was formed, and the company was renamed Airbus Helicopters on 2 January 2014.

The prototype of the four-bladed, twin-engine, tandem seat design made its first flight in April 1991. It was the first all-composite helicopter developed in Europe and from the beginning included advanced features such as a glass cockpit and stealth technology. The pilot and gunner are seated in crashworthy seats in an armoured cockpit. The Tiger is powered by two government furnished MTU/Turbomeca/Rolls-Royce MTR390 turboshaft engines mounted behind the cockpit and have shrouded exhausts to reduce the helicopter’s infrared signature.

Weapons are primarily mounted on two stub wings. The German UHT is distinguished by a Sagem Osiris mast-mounted sight and can be armed with a combination of HOT or TRIGAT-LR (known as the PARS 3 LR in German service) long-range antitank guided missiles, Hydra 70mm air-to-ground rocket pods, Stinger air-to-air missiles, and 12.7mm gun pods.

Both French variants are equipped with a Sagem Strix roof-mounted sight and are distinguished by a chin-mounted Nexter AM-30781 30mm gun turret. The Tiger HAC can be equipped with Mistral or Stinger AAMs and HOT or TRIGAT-LR ATGMs. The HAP can carry 68mm SNEB unguided rockets and Mistrals.

Although at the launch of the project France expected to achieve initial operational capability (IOC) in 1997 and Germany the following year, it was not until 18 June 1999 that France and Germany placed orders, worth €3.3 billion, for an ‘initial’ batch of 160 helicopters - 80 Tiger UHTs for Germany, and 70 Tiger HAP and 10 Tiger HAC for the French Army. At that point, each customer still intended to order 120 helicopters.

In 2004, Spain joined the Tiger project as a partner with the intention of ordering 24 Tigers in a new HAD (Helicóptero de Ataque y Destrucción) variant developed to meet the Spanish Army’s specific requirements. Spain bought six Tiger HAP-E variants to allow training to begin and provide an initial capability before the delivery of its HAD models. France altered its Tiger order from the 70 HAP and 10 HAC helicopters originally sought to 40 HAP and 40 HAD variants.

The Tiger programme was among the first placed under the management of Europe’s OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière

The Spanish Army operates 18 Tiger HAD helicopters. © Spanish Army

d’Armement / Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation) in 2001 when the organisation achieved legal status. On 30 November 2005, Eurocopter and OCCAR signed a formal contract for the Tiger HAD which covered 18 helicopters for Spain and the upgrade of the six HAP-Es to the HAD standard, and 40 HADs for France, a combination of new build and upgraded helicopters.

The HAD is powered by Enhanced MTR390E engines which provide better ‘hot and high’ performance and lift heavier payloads. As well as being equipped with the Nexter 30mm gun turret the Tiger HAD is certified to carry the Lockheed Martin Hellfire II (ordered by France) and the Rafael Spike ER (used by Spain) anti-tank missiles. The production Tiger HAD made its first flight in December 2007.

After Spain joined the project, Airbus Helicopter’s established a third production facility at Albacete, Spain which complements those at Marignane, France, and Donauwörth, Germany.

Following a decision to cut its Tiger UHT order from 80 to 57, as part of larger cuts to its armed forces, Germany signed a deal with Airbus Helicopters which included the manufacturers buying back 11 Tigers already delivered.

Service history

The first Tiger HAP was delivered to the French Army in March 2005 and Tigers now equip two squadrons of the 5e Régiment d’Hélicoptères de Combat and a flight of the 4 e Régiment d’Hélicoptères des Forces

A pair of Tiger HAD helicopters provide air support for the II Spanish Legion Brigade during training. © Spanish Army

Spéciales to support special operations forces. In July 2009, France deployed three Tiger HAPs to Kabul, the first deployment of the helicopter on active operations. As well as continued rotations to Afghanistan, French Tigers were later deployed on combat operations in Libya and Mali. Work on upgrading France original Tiger HAPs to the HAD standard is scheduled to continue until 2025 to enable a standard fleet of 67 HAD models.

The Germany Army’s first Tiger UHT was delivered in 2005, and the 68th and last in July 2018 although 11 were since sold back to the manufacturer. The helicopters are operated by Kampfhubschrauberregiment 36 (36th Attack Helicopter Regiment), organised into two squadrons, assigned to the Division Schnelle Kräfte (Rapid Forces Division). UHT Tigers were deployed operationally for the first time when four were sent to Afghanistan in December 2012. These were upgraded to the ASGARD (Afghanistan Stabilization German Army Rapid Deployment) configuration which includes the installation of new defensive systems, sand filters for the MTR390 engines, and an enhanced communications suite. In 2017, Germany deployed pairs of Tigers to support the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

Germany’s Ministry of Defence detailed the future of the Tiger fleet in its June 2019 defence procurement plan. Two helicopters will be phased out and another 33 upgraded to the ASGARD standard to produce a standard fleet of 51 helicopters. The first is expected to come out of retrofit later this year and the last in 2024.

From 2024, work will begin on the ASGARD+ configuration which will include improvements to the sighting sensor and the communications system, and the integration of new 70mm laserguided rockets and a new air-to-surface missile. The service plans for work to begin on the Tiger Mk III in 2028 with the expectation that this will extend the Tiger’s life beyond 2040.

Spain’s Fuerzas Aeromóviles del Ejército de Tierra’s (FAMET, Army Airmobile Force) received its first Tiger HAP-E models in 2007 and in December 2014 Airbus Helicopters began delivering the HAD-E model. FAMET’s single attack helicopter battalion, Batallón de Helicópteros de Ataque I, operates Spain’s Tiger fleet.

Although the army had initially intended to upgrade its six HAP-Es to the HAD configuration, it has decided to use these aircraft for spares and in the development of the Mk III version. Spain expects to sign a contract for the Mk III around 2022.

Airbus Helicopters and OCCAR signed a tri-lateral ‘Global Support Contract’ in December 2019 with the aim of boosting the readiness and availability of the Tigers in French, German, and Spanish service over the next decade and beyond.

The contract covers continuous improvement and obsolescence treatment as well as securing repair and spares capabilities from all of the company’s suppliers. The agreement is tailored to meet the needs of individual nations. For example, the French Army is guaranteed parts availability up to 98% and the simplification of logistics as Airbus Helicopters will directly take over the supply of new parts, as well as repaired parts and other expendables.

The Safran roof-mounted Strix sight, shown here on a Spanish Tiger HAD, is a gyrostabilized electro-optical system equipped with a thermal imager, daylight camera and laser rangefinder. © Spanish Army

New generation Tiger

On 27 September 2018, OCCAR commissioned Airbus Helicopters, on behalf of the French, German and Spanish defence procurement agencies to perform de-risking studies for the development and retrofit phases of new avionics, mission, and weapon systems to modernise the Tiger helicopter to a new Mk III standard intended to keep the type operational beyond 2040. MBDA and Thales were also awarded studies contracts for various subsystems.

The DGA said the Tiger Mk III “will have new networked combat capabilities: connection to the [French] Army’s Scorpion system and direct communication with drones. It will also be able to benefit from the European Galileo satellite positioning system, in addition to the American GPS.” The “OCCAR Business Plan 2020”, published in January, stated: “The future Mark III midlife upgrade will integrate advanced technologies such as a new avionics suite and an improved weapon system, allowing Tiger to maintain superiority on the battlefield for the following decades. In

An Australian Army Tiger ARH launches a missile during the Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019. © Commonwealth of Australia, DoD

Airbus Helicopters is competing the Australian Army’s Land 4503 project to replace its 22 Tiger ARH with 29 new helicopters. © Commonwealth of Australia, DoD

order to secure and de-risk the new stage Mark III timeline, activities were launched in 2018 to investigate potential solutions and performances.” The plan noted that Mk III de-risking activities are scheduled to finish this year and negotiations of a Mk III contract will begin. Airbus Helicopters told EDR Magazine that it is premature to discuss details of the Tiger Mk III project before a contract is signed.

Linked to the Tiger Mk III, is the Missile Air-Sol Tactique Futur (MAST-F) air-to-ground missile which is expected to become the 15th project managed by OCCAR. In 2016, France’s DGA launched the MAST-F programme definition and Tiger Mk III integration de-risking studies have been underway since 2016, with the last study due to deliver this year. The MAST-F will replace the Hellfire II missile in French service. The DGA issued a non-competitive invitation to tender to MBDA on 31 July 2019 and received a response in September 2019. According to the OCCAR plan, the integration of the programme into OCCAR will occur this year with the signature of both a programme decision and a contract.

Australian Tiger ARHs from the Australian Army School of Aviation at Oakey provided reconnaissance support to civilian emergency services fighting fires in New South Wales and Queensland in late 2019. © Commonwealth of Australia, DoD France intends to replace the current Safran Electronics & Defense Strix HAD optronic sight and Thales Avionics TopOwl Conf3 digital helmet with the Strix NG and TopOwl DD (Digital Display). In 2016, the DGA launched a concept study to enable the crew members to observe the images and videos coming from the Strix in their TopOwl visors. A ground test campaign in 2018 made it possible to validate the feasibility of this coupling and was followed by a first flight test campaign carried out in January and February 2019 in Istres. Several day and night flights on a Puma test bench helicopter were conducted by engineers and test pilots from the DGA, Gamstat and Airbus Helicopters.

Rheinmetall and Thales signed an agreement on 10 January 2020 to collaborate on the development,

A Germany Army Tiger UHT lands at the test range in Vidsel, Sweden during cold weather trials in January 2020. © Bundeswehr

qualification and production of the 70mm guided and unguided rockets solutions for the Tiger Mk III programme as well as potentially other new German platforms. Germany’s UHT Tigers are already armed with Thales 70mm rocket and the weapon is certified for use by the Airbus H145M helicopter, 15 of which were delivered to the German Air Force in 2015-16 to support special operations forces. Under the new agreement, Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH will lead marketing efforts to the Bundeswehr.

Australia decision

In 2001, Australia ordered 22 Tiger helicopters to meet the Australian Army’s Air 87 Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) requirement. Deliveries began in December 2004 and continued until December 2011. Airbus assembled 18 heli

The German Army operates 57 Tiger UHTs compared to the 212 in planned to buy when the project was conceived. © Bundeswehr

copters at its Brisbane facility which has supported the helicopter since its introduction. Although the army wanted a MOTS solution, the Tiger ARH is actually a new variant based on the Tiger HAP, with its undernose 30 mm cannon, but with expanded anti-tank capability including the AGM-114M Hellfire missile. Technical difficulties, compounded by supply chain problems, delayed the achievement of full operational capability (FOC) by seven years until mid-2016. The Tiger ARH equips two squadrons of the 1 st Aviation Regiment. The regiment deployed four Tiger ARHs aboard HMAS Canberra during the Royal Australian Navy’s three-month Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019 (IPE19) to train aircrew and ground staff for day and night deck landing and certify the type for operations on the two Canberraclass Landing Helicopter Dock platforms. The army has yet to deploy the Tiger ARH on combat operations, but the helicopter’s surveillance capabilities have been used to support civilian emergency services fighting bush fires most recently during the 2019-20 winter. In April 2019, the Department of Defence awarded a 5-year extension, through 2025, of the Tiger ARH through-life support contract to Airbus Group Australia Pacific. The extension includes: more extensive aircraft and component deeper maintenance; operational maintenance of aircraft allocated to training; aircrew and technician training including maintenance of training devices; design services including OEM design incorporation; systems and software development and testing; complete parts support including MRO, purchasing, storage and distribution; technical publications; maintenance

policy; and, fleet management. Project Land 4503 Armed Reconnaissance Capability is intended to field up to 29 helicopters, including five training aircraft, to replace the Tiger ARH from 2026 with an initial operating capability of one squadron of 12 aircraft to be achieved in Fiscal Year 2025-26 and full operating capability to be achieved in 2029. Three responses were received to the request for information issued in July 2019 - Bell Helicopter and BAE Systems proposing the Bell AH-1Z Viper, Boeing offering the AH-64E Apache, and Airbus Australia proposing an upgrade to the Tiger ARH. Companies were also asked to describe the interoperability of their helicopters with unmanned systems such as the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc armed MQ-9 Reaper which is planned to enter service later this decade.

An Airbus Helicopters spokesperson told EDR Magazine: “Following Airbus’ response to the Commonwealth of Australia’s Request for Information for the Project LAND 4503 last year, we submitted an unsolicited proposal to the

Australian Defence Force in March this year, to

In German (shown) and Spanish Tigers the gunner is seated in front of the pilot in the tandem, stepped armoured cockpit while the French Army seats the pilot in front of the gunner. © Bundeswehr

Germany deployed Tiger UHTs upgraded to the ASGARD standard to support the ISAF mission in Afghanistan and the MINUSMA mission (shown) in Mali. © Bundeswehr

extend and upgrade the Army’s existing ARH Tiger fleet. The platform enhancement ensures that the ARH Tiger will remain an effective and reliable Defence asset. We welcome the fair and objective assessment from Defence of our proposal. Airbus is fully committed to keeping the Tiger in service in Australia, well beyond 2025 which is the timeframe in the recent TLS contract extension. We are confident that we can offer a cost effective modernisation of the platform to take it through to the 2040s.”

Airbus Helicopters claims that upgrading the Tiger ARH to the Mk III standard would result in more than A$3 billion in savings against the expected budget. “Tiger is an extremely agile, effective, and digitally connected armed reconnaissance helicopter,” said Andrew Mathewson, Airbus Australia Pacific Managing Director. “Since delivery, the Australian Tiger has matured into a fully operational army capability and is integrated into the combined arms team. It continues to prove itself as an adaptable platform and is now a key element of Australia’s amphibious capabilities on-board the Canberra Class Landing Helicopter Docks.”

The company notes that the cost per flight hour of the Tiger ARH has fallen by more than 30% since its introduction while the sortie success rate had surpassed 95% by 2019.

France intends to replace the Thales Avionics TopOwl Conf3 Helmet Mounted Sight & Display system with the company’s TopOwl DD (Digital Display). © Thales

These arguments have found some supporters in Australia. For example, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in December 2019 published a report entitled “Accelerating autonomy: Autonomous systems and the Tiger helicopter replacement” which suggests that the Australian Defence Force should cancel the acquisition of a new ARH and instead “keep the Tiger in service while investing around $1 billion of the funds saved in the development and acquisition of autonomous systems” which could perform some of the roles of a manned helicopter, possibly more cheaply, and without putting lives at risk.

If Australia selects the Airbus Helicopter proposal for Land 4503 the company will retain its only export customer.

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