OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en Matter d’Armement), on behalf of the French and Spanish Directorate General of Armaments, the DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement) and the DGAM (Direction Générale de l’Armement et de la Materiel) awarded a contract to Airbus Helicopters for the development, production and initial in-service support of the Tiger MkIII attack helicopter upgrade program.
The contract includes the upgrade of 42 aircraft for France (with the possibility of adding another 25 helicopters) and 18 for Spain. In addition, the contract provides for the possibility of Germany joining the Tiger MkIII program at a later date. The first prototype is scheduled to make its maiden flight in 2025.
The first delivery to the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) will take place at the end of 2029, followed by the first delivery to Spain in 2030. Development and upgrade work will be carried out at Airbus Helicopters’ facilities in Albacete (Spain), Marignane (France), and Donauwörth (Germany).
«The Tiger MkIII program will provide a European answer to the need for a state-of-the-art attack helicopter for the coming decades. With this upgrade, the Tiger will remain an essential and modern asset for their militaries and will strengthen defense cooperation in Europe,» said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters.
Even added: «The Tiger MkIII will have no equivalent in the world for high-intensity operations and will further enhance the connectivity, precision, and firepower of the current Tiger.»
The Tiger MkIII is a comprehensive upgrade of the European attack helicopter’s systems. Combat-proven, the Tiger is difficult to detect, highly agile, and highly survivable, something operators will continue to benefit from with the MkIII upgrade.
The new standard will allow the platform to connect to the digital battlefield to conduct manned and unmanned team training, as well as to share tactical information in real-time.
It will also provide an unmatched range of weapons (turret guns, laser-guided rockets, and missiles) and renewed detection and targeting capabilities. The integration of state-of-the-art avionics will reduce the crew’s workload and allow them to fully focus on mission execution.
Tiger MkIII’s standard configuration will include integration of Safran Strix NG sights, Thales FlytX avionics suite, Topowl DD hull-mounted sight display, an Indra IFF upgrade, Thales GNSS, and Safran’s inertial navigation system. The communications suite will be upgraded with Thales’ Contact/Synaps radio and data links dedicated to manned and unmanned equipment training.
In addition, Link16 and SATCOM functionalities will be included for Spain. The Spanish Tiger MkIII will be equipped with a battlefield management system and countermeasures provided by Indra. Meanwhile, the French Tiger MkIII will be equipped with a battlefield management system by ATOS and countermeasures provided by Thales.
The new weapons package for France will include the MBDA MAST-F (future tactical air-to-surface missile) and the Mistral 3 air-to-air missile. For Spain, new capabilities will include 70 mm guided rockets and a new air-to-surface missile.
Airbus Helicopters is fully committed to supporting the Tiger fleet. In 2019, a trilateral global support contract was signed with OCCAR. Its objective is to boost the availability rate of Tigers in service with the French, German and Spanish armies.
Thanks to this contract, the availability rate of the French Army’s Tiger fleet has progressed significantly over the past two years. Further positive results are expected in the coming months in Spain, Germany, and France.
