30. June 2017

Final Qualification of the TIGER HAD version

On 30 June 2017, OCCAR granted the final qualification of the TIGER HAD version (Support and Destruction Helicopter) in the Block 2 standard, achieving the final operational capability.
This is the result of two and a half years of intensive work to qualify the evolution from the Block 1 to the Block 2 configuration, leading to the finalisation of the development of this weapon system.
The main improvements compared to Block 1 are the following ones:

Naval capability;
Improved performance of Spike and Mistral missile subsystems;
HF radio datalink;
An updated software version enabling extended Man-Machine interface performances;
Firing capability with Combat External tank;
New Engine Controller and Monitoring Unit (ECMU-B).

This qualification, performed in cooperation with Airbus Helicopters, the French and Spanish Ministries of Defence and the OCCAR TIGER Programme Division, provides a helicopter configuration which ensures the operation of the HAD helicopters at their full capability and the launching of future system improvements, like the new Maintenance Software Release 1 (MR1).

This achievement concludes the development of this helicopter which is currently in use in the French and Spanish Armies with respectively 24 HAD/F and 12 HAD/E helicopters already delivered.

The end user has expressed its satisfaction regarding the Block 2 configuration, which is currently in operation on national territory and deployed overseas.

The next challenges to come for the HAD project are:

the finalisation of the HAD production in order to deliver 31 HAD/F for France and 18 HAD/E for Spain by end of 2018;
the retrofit of the French Tiger HAP (Support and Protection Helicopter) fleet to the HAD Block 2 standard;
the helicopter software upgrade expected to be available in 2019 (MR1).