Airbus Tiger

Europe’s flagship attack helicopter — a twin-engine, tandem-seat rotorcraft that arms France, Germany and Spain with a 30 mm cannon, anti-tank missiles and mast-mounted sensors for anti-armour, close fire support and armed reconnaissance.

Overview

The Airbus Tiger (formerly the Eurocopter EC665) is a dedicated attack helicopter operated by France, Germany and Spain. It fills the same anti-armour and escort role as the American AH-64 Apache but on a lighter airframe optimized for the European theatre. Three main domestic variants were built — the HAP (escort/fire support) and HAD (multi-role/anti-tank) for France and Spain, and the UHT (anti-tank) for Germany — and the type has since been upgraded to the HAD-F standard in French service. Australia, the sole export customer, retired its Tigers early and replaced them with AH-64E Apaches.

Development

Work on a Franco-German attack helicopter began in the mid-1980s under the name “PAH-2,” with the first EC665 prototype flying in 1991. Army Recognition notes that series production was approved in 1999, and the initial HAP variant entered French service in 2005, followed by the German UHT in 2008 and the multi-role HAD around 2011. Spain joined the programme later, ordering the HAD for its Army Airmobile Forces. France completed the upgrade of 30 airframes to the modernised HAD-F standard in January 2026, a milestone covered by Zona Militar. Australia’s 22 locally designated ARH Tigers, delivered from 2004, were withdrawn in 2024 after a troubled service life and replaced by AH-64Es; the story is outlined by the Royal Aeronautical Society.

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