Tigre HAD What is it? The European joint attack helicopter from Airbus
Tiger HAD
Airbus Helicopters is a joint attack helicopter between France and Germany. The family name is Tiger/Tigre; it has sub-variants such as HAP (the supporting French version), UHT (the German ATGM version), HAD (the advanced French version), HCP (the enhanced Mk3 version). The European counterpart to the Apache – lighter, smaller, and less expensive. It has been used in operations in Mali, Afghanistan, Lebanon.
What is Tiger HAD?
Tiger (in French) or Tiger (in German), is a twin-crew attack helicopter developed by Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters) to meet the needs of France and Germany in the 1990s. It is the European counterpart to the American Apache, but the design philosophy is different:
- The Apache is a heavy, loaded, and heavily armed helicopter (about 8 tons empty).
- The Tiger is a lighter, smaller platform (≈3.5 tons empty) – fuel-efficient, fast, and operates with a smaller crew.
The Tiger family includes different variants:
- HAP (Hélicoptère d’Appui Protection) – the supporting version for the French army. Focuses on the gun, missiles, and air-to-air rockets.
- UHT (Unterstützungshubschrauber Tiger) – the version for the German army. PARS 3 ATGM, machine gun, missiles.
- HAD (Hélicoptère d’Appui Destruction) – the advanced French version, with integrated AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. Spain also uses this version.
- HCP / Mk3 – the modern Mk3 upgrade program.
Operational use: Afghanistan (French and German forces), Mali (Operation Serval/Barkhane), Lebanon, Libya. The field experience has been mixed: the reliability of the Tiger and its operational readiness rate in Mali have been criticized, but it remains a significant political symbol for the European defense industry.
Germany has decided to exclude a large part of the Tiger and purchase the AH-64E Apache (2023). Meanwhile, France plans to continue using the Tiger for a long time with the Mk3 upgrade.
