The Eurocopter Tiger (EC 665) is a relatively new attack helicopter initially designed and developed through a joint venture between the governments of France and Germany. Comparatively, the Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter can be thought of as in the same class as the American Hughes AH-64 Apache, Russian Ka-50 "Black Shark", the Italian Agusta A129 Mangusta and the South African Denel AH-2 Rooivalk. The Tiger remains in limited production as of this writing, though the initial orders have been relatively impressive considering the current financial climate over the globe.
The idea of a joint venture design between France and Germany for a capable attack helicopter was on the table since the mid-1980's. At the time, the French aviation firm of Aerospatiale and the German bureau of MBB (Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm) were tabbed for the job. Despite financial setbacks in the program and its inevitable collapse in just two short years, the project was resurrected once more in 1987. Five prototypes were contracted in late 1989 and the first Tiger took to the skies in April of 1991. By 1992, the joint venture between Aerospatiale and MBB expanded becoming the newly-formed "Eurocopter Group". Production of the Eurocopter Tiger began in 2002 with deliveries beginning the following year.
In the role of attack helicopter, the Tiger can be expected to maintain low-levels of flight, making this complex machine highly susceptible to ground-based enemy fire or natural impediments. As such, survivability of both man and machine is spared at no expense when it comes to this aircraft. The fuselage is armored as such that it can reportedly withstand a direct hit from 23mm projectiles. This is possible by the carbon fiber reinforced polymer with Kevlar, titanium and aluminum construction. Carbon fiber represents at least to 80% of its make up while titanium is used in 6% of the machine while aluminum makes up 11%. Within this highly effective skin are anti-lightning protection, state-of-the-art systems (including GPS, early warning radars and data computers) and an integrated helmet-mounted sight display system (these vary by operator).
Externally, the Eurocopter Tiger falls in line with the design philosophy of current generation attack helicopters. The crew of two are seated in tandem in a stepped cockpit arrangement with forward, above and side visibility. Contrary to other attack helicopter designs, the pilot is seated in the forward cockpit position. Entry for the pilot in the is from the port side of the aircraft while the gunner in the rear cockpit position enters in on the starboard side. Both cockpit positions are offset slightly from one another in an effort to improve each position's vision. The nose features a noticeable slope while the entire slim fuselage takes advantage of flat sides with rounded edges. The undercarriage is fixed and consists of two forward main gears and a tail wheel at rear. The empennage features a main vertical tail fin with two additional vertical fins extending out from the main fin's base. The engines are kept near the aircraft's center of gravity, one engine to a fuselage side.
Armament for the Tiger series is contained on external wing stubs capable of mounting conventional attack helicopter weaponry including air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface anti-tank missiles and air-to-surface rockets. The wingstubs extend outwards from the fuselage sides directly behind and below the pilot's cockpit position and feature a distinct polyhedral bend. Standard chin-mounted weapon systems are based on the operator's choice and, as of this writing, can be of the French GIAT 30 series 30mm cannon or the German Rheinmetall 30mm cannon.
Performance specifications are impressive and include a top speed of 315 kilometers per hour along with a range of 800 kilometers (improved to 1,300 kilometers through the use of external fuel tanks). Power is derived from twin Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca/MTU MTR390 series turboshafts powering a fiber-plastic four-blade main rotor and a three-blade tail rotor. A mast-mounted sight can be affixed to the top of the main rotor at the expense of maximum speed (drops to about 290km/h). The tail rotor sits along the starboard side of the tailfin. The Eurocopter is fully-capable of performing loops, a popular air show "test" of a current generation helicopter's ability.
To date, the Tiger has appeared in four major versions coinciding in use to their host countries. The Tiger HAP is a French close-support attack version capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground engagements through use of a 30mm chin turret, missiles and rocket pods. The UH Tiger represents a multi-role derivative for use by German forces. Anti-tank missiles and rocket pods are the order of the day for this model as is a German-produced 30mm autocannon in a chin turret mounting. The Tiger ARH is an armed reconnaissance model for use by Australian Army forces to replace their UH-1 "Hueys" and OH-58 Kiowa systems. These Tigers will be fitted with improved MTR390 series engines and feature 70mm rocket pods and capability with the Hellfire II anti-tank missile system. The Tiger HAD is the Tiger of choice for the Spanish Army and French forces, utilizing anti-tank missiles and improved MTR390 series engines of 1,464shp.
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August 2016 - Availability of German-operated Tiger helicopters is increased for service over Mali in the UN-backed initiative. The force has been on stand-by since July 1st, 2016.
August 2017 - A July-2017 crash of a Tiger helicopter in Mali has led to some forces suspending operations with the attack platform until the results of the incident can be had. Two crew were lost when the main rotor blades broke off after entering a steep dive.
May 2018 - The governments of France and Germany have approved the Tiger Mk.III mid-life upgrade in an effort to keep their respective Tiger fleets viable into 2040.
July 2019 - The Australia military is actively seeking a replacement for its fleet of twenty-two Tiger ARH attack helicopters currently in service. A successor is being sought for operations as soon as 2025-2026 with some twenty-nine new units to be procured. Inline to replace the series is a modernized Tiger ARH from Airbus Helicopters, the American Bell AH-1Z "Viper", and the American Boeing AH-64 "Apache" lines.
August 2019 - A manufacturing defect has led to a grounding of all in-service German Eurocopter Tiger helicopters on August 2nd.
August 2019 - Engineers have released a fix for the German Tiger helicopter fleet numbering 56-strong in an effort to resume operations of the type.
September 2020 - Some thirty-three in-service German Army Tiger attack helicopters will be receiving the "ASGARD33" ("Afghanistan Security German Army Rapid Deployment") modernization initially applied to the service's Afghanistan Theater Tigers in 2012.
November 2020 - The Tiger Mk.III modernized form nears its official launching - expected to be before year's end.
January 2021 - Australia has selected the Boeing AH-64E as a successor to its aging fleet of Eurocopter (Airbus Helicopters) "Tiger" attack helicopter line under its Armed Reconnaissance Helo requirement.
March 2022 - A contract was formally signed to being work on the Tiger Mk.III upgrade.
May 2022 - Airbus revealed that three Tiger airframes modified as prototypes will take part in the Tiger Mk.III upgrade program.
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
GROUND ATTACK
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.
CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT
Developed to operate in close proximity to active ground elements by way of a broad array of air-to-ground ordnance and munitions options.
Length
46.2 ft (14.08 m)
Width/Span
42.7 ft (13.00 m)
Height
12.6 ft (3.83 m)
Empty Wgt
6,746 lb (3,060 kg)
MTOW
13,228 lb (6,000 kg)
Wgt Diff
+6,482 lb (+2,940 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the Eurocopter Tiger (EC665) production variant)
Installed:
2 x Rolls-Royce / Turbomeca / MTU MTR390 turboshaft engines developing 1,170 horsepower each while driving a four-blade main rotor and three-blade tail rotor.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Eurocopter Tiger (EC665) production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
STANDARD:
1 x 30mm GIAT 30 cannon OR 1 x 30mm Rheinmetall RMK30 cannon in chin turret.
OPTIONAL:
May include a combination of the following:
7 x 70mm SNEB rockets (7-shot rocket pod).
19 x 70mm SNEB rockets (19-shot rocket pod).
19 x 70mm Hydra rockets (19-shot rocket pod).
22 x 68mm SNEB rockets (22-shot rocket pod).
4 x AIM-92 "Stinger" short-range, air-to-air missiles.
4 x Mistral short-range, air-to-air missiles.
8 x AGM-114 "Hellfire" anti-tank missiles.
8 x PARS 3 LR anti-tank missiles.
8 x "HOT3" anti-tank missiles.
8 x Rafael "Spike-ER" anti-tank missiles.
2 x External Fuel Tanks.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
4 Hardpoints
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7
5
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4
6
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Hardpoints Key:
15
13
11
9
7
5
3
1
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
X
Color Key:
Centerline
Port Wingroot
Stbd Wingroot
Wing
Wingtip
Internal Bay
Not Used
EC665 - Eurocopter Company Designation
Tiger HAP - Close Protection Helicopter; fire support and air-to-air capability; 30mm chin-mounted cannon system; French use.
UH Tiger - Multi-Role Fire Support Variant; mast-mounted sight; possible Rheinmetall RMK30 30mm autocannon as standard armament; German use.
Tiger ARH - Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter; Australian use.
Tiger HAD - Support Destruction Helicopter; support and fire suppression specialty; Spain use.
Tiger HAC - Proposed anti-tank platform for French use; abandoned in favor of HAD variant.
Tiger Mk II - Upgrade; included improved communications suite, support for laser-guided rockets, and introduction of common Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM).
Tiger Mk III - Proposed mid-life upgrade featuring ASGARD modifications from Afghanistan Theater of Operations; primarily for French and Spanish Tiger helicopters.
General Assessment
Firepower
Performance
Survivability
Versatility
Impact
Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.
Overall Rating
The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.
86
Rating is out of a possible 100 points.
Relative Maximum Speed
Hi: 200mph
Lo: 100mph
This entry's maximum listed speed (196mph).
Graph average of 150 miles-per-hour.
City-to-City Ranges
NYC
LON
LON
PAR
PAR
BER
BER
MOS
MOS
TOK
TOK
SYD
SYD
LAX
LAX
NYC
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).
Max Altitude Visualization
Design Balance
The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.
Aviation Era Span
Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.
Unit Production (348)
348
36183
44000
Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).
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Australia; France; Germany; Spain; Saudi Arabia
