BAAINBw receives final delivery of Tiger support helicopter

The Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has accepted the delivery of the final Tiger support helicopter for use by the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr).

The helicopter is the last of 68 units delivered by Airbus Helicopters Deutschland, with the first aircraft handed over in 2005.

This aircraft is to be handed over to the German Armed Forces’ 36 Attack Helicopter Regiment in Fritzlar.

In addition to Germany, the Tiger support helicopter is a multinational defence project of France and Spain.

BAAINBw’s Branch L4.3 will be responsible for the Tiger project management for the German Armed Forces.

BAAINBw Branch L4.3 chief and Tiger support helicopter project manager LTRDir Michael Kohlhaas said: “Today is a good day for me. And yet we do not draw a line under it.

“This day is an incentive to address, with a lot of energy, the necessary adjustments during the phase of in-service use of the Tiger.”

More than 30 ageing Tiger helicopters deployed with the Bundeswehr are planned to undergo mission-oriented overhauls to upgrade their hardware and software in order to prepare the aircraft for a wide range of future missions.

The Tiger support helicopter is a multi-role attack aircraft built to carry out armed reconnaissance, air or ground escort, air-to-air combat, ground fire support, and anti-tank warfare during both the day and night and even in challenging conditions.

Fitted with a 13m-long, four-bladed hingeless main rotor, the helicopter is capable of engaging battle tanks, supporting airmobile operations and ground forces, and providing air escort, convoy protection and armed reconnaissance, in addition to engaging high-value targets.