Arms Minister wants to “re-test” model of Tiger Mk3 attack helicopter

in March 2022, and on behalf of the Directorate of Armaments [DGA] France and Direxian General d’Armament y Materiel [DGAM] Spanish, Joint Organization for Cooperation in the Armaments Sector [OCCAr] Airbus Helicopters has been awarded a contract to upgrade the Tiger attack helicopter to Mk3 standard. [ce qui correspond à sa modernisation à mi-vie].

Given Germany’s missteps, the plan is less ambitious than expected… Indeed, the Army’s light aviation [ALAT] Only 42 of the 67 aircraft owned at a cost of 2.8 billion euros could be modernized. For its part, Fuerzas aeromobiles del Ejercito de tierra [FAMET] An outlay of 1.18 billion euros is planned for 18 helicopters.

With the Mk3 standard, the Tiger will be integrated into “battlefield scanning systems”, capable of controlling drones and sharing tactical information in real time. It also talks about fitting new avionics [la suite FlytX de Thales]Communication radio to integrate with Scorpion Bubble, the latest generation self-defense system.

That being said, for months now, rumors have suggested that this modernization of the Tiger will finally happen, at least…feedback [RETEX] Ukraine’s massive use of drones has given staff food for thought… so much so that Japan has decided to take all of its attack and surveillance helicopters out of service and replace them with remotely piloted machines. Across the Channel, on the other hand, the British Army believes its Apache AH64Es will be relevant, if their use is modified.

Be that as it may, during a hearing in the Senate on February 28 about the Tiger Mk3, Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu did not give assurances about its future.

“A lot of things are in circulation and they are sometimes wrong. The Tiger helicopter will continue to fly till 2040/45. Then, the real thing is the technological leap. I asked. […] “Armies are looking at whether what is envisioned for Standard 3 is technically similar to what we want,” Mr. Leghorn explained. “We will not have a super helicopter that is already obsolete. [avec les drones]? I think I will ask this question publicly,” he added.

To the point raised by the Minister: Economic sustainability of the Tiger MK3. “Even if the helicopter is big, if only a few can be bought, that will be a problem,” the minister continued.

“I’m not reviewing the principle of Standard 3, I’m reviewing the model that exists today,” Mr Lecornu continued. “Furthermore, I have directed the forces and the DGA, in collaboration with the manufacturers, to update it if required or to do so if required”, he said. “It’s not bad news, it’s good news and it needs to be changed,” he concluded.