Airbus Helicopters Tiger

Updated: October 2026 – A slim, dark-painted helicopter with two glass canopies one behind the other, short wings and a strange ball above the rotor: if you see something like that in northern Hesse or at a Bundeswehr event, you have a Tiger in your viewfinder. The German-French attack helicopter is Europe’s answer to the American Apache and flies in Germany, France and Spain. Australia has just retired it, and in Germany its time is running out too. Here you will learn how to tell the versions apart, where you can still find it and what to watch for when photographing it.

What is the Tiger?

The Tiger is a two-seat, twin-engine attack helicopter in the six-tonne class. It is built for armed reconnaissance, escort, fire support and anti-tank missions, day and night. The crew sits one behind the other, but the other way around from the Boeing AH-64 Apache: on the Tiger the pilot flies in front, and the weapons systems officer sits behind, slightly raised.

Typical of the Tiger is its high share of composite materials. The hingeless four-blade main rotor has a diameter of 13 meters, and at the back an open three-blade tail rotor turns at the top of the vertical stabilizer. It is powered by two MTR390 shaft turbines. Behind them stands a joint venture of MTU Aero Engines, Safran (formerly Turbomeca) and Rolls-Royce. The HAD version uses the uprated MTR390-E.

Depending on the version, top speed ranges from just under 290 to about 315 km/h. The maximum takeoff weight lies between around 6 and about 6.6 tonnes depending on the version, with the HAD being the heaviest. According to Airbus the Tiger is protected against gunfire, designed for high crash safety, and has self-sealing tanks and multiple redundant systems.

From the Cold War to Airbus Helicopters

The roots go back to the 1980s. In 1984 the governments in Bonn and Paris set joint requirements for a new attack helicopter. A joint venture of Aérospatiale and MBB was planned as the manufacturer. Because of high costs the project was briefly put on ice in 1986, and it continued in 1987. In November 1989 the order for five prototypes followed. At the time Germany wanted a pure tank hunter as a successor to the Bo 105 in the anti-tank role (PAH-1), which internally ran as PAH-2. France was looking for an escort and support helicopter to complement the Gazelle.

The first prototype, PT1, took off on April 27, 1991. After the end of the Cold War Germany adjusted its plans: the pure anti-tank helicopter became the more versatile Tiger support helicopter, or UHT for short. In 1992 Aérospatiale and MBB merged their helicopter divisions into Eurocopter, which has been called Airbus Helicopters since January 2014 and belongs to the Airbus group.

A pre-production Tiger, by the way, already had a film appearance in the James Bond film GoldenEye in 1995. Series production only started in 2002. In March 2005 the first aircraft went to France, in April 2005 to Germany. Final assembly took place in Donauwörth and Marignane, the Spanish aircraft in Albacete and most of the Australian ones in Brisbane.

The versions at a glance

For spotters the Tiger is rewarding: the versions differ visibly, especially in the sight and the cannon.

Feature	UHT / KHT (Germany)	HAP (France, Spain)	HAD / HAD-E (France, Spain)	ARH (Australia)
Role	anti-tank and support	escort and fire support	multirole attack helicopter	armed reconnaissance
Sight	mast-mounted sight (ball above the rotor)	roof sight above the cockpit	roof sight	roof sight
30 mm cannon	no	yes	yes	yes
Typical guided missiles	PARS 3 LR, HOT	no anti-tank guided missiles	Hellfire (France), Spike (Spain)	Hellfire
Status October 2026	retirement by 2032 at the latest	converted to HAD or retired	in service, Mk III modernization	retired in September 2026

UHT: The German version carries the Osiris sight in a ball above the rotor head. That way the crew can stay hidden behind trees or hills and only raise its “head.” The UHT has no fixed cannon. For gun armament there are pods with 12.7 mm machine guns on the stub wings.

HAP: The first French version is designed for fire support, with a 30 mm cannon in the chin turret, rockets and Mistral air-to-air missiles. France is gradually upgrading its HAPs to the HAD standard. Spain has retired its six HAPs.

HAD: The more powerful multirole version got the uprated MTR390-E engines, a higher takeoff weight, an improved Strix roof sight with laser designator and anti-tank guided missiles: Hellfire in France, Spike in Spain.

ARH: The Australian Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter variant is based on the HAP with Hellfire armament. Australia ordered a total of 22 aircraft in December 2001.

How to recognize the Tiger

Attack helicopters all follow the same blueprint: narrow fuselage, two crew one behind the other, weapons on short wings. With four glances you can still reliably narrow down the Tiger.

Registrations and serials help with identification. How the Bundeswehr numbers its aircraft is explained in the article Registrations of Bundeswehr aircraft. The guide Identifying helicopter types offers an overview of other rotary-wing aircraft.

Tiger, Apache, Cobra or Mi-24?

In Europe the most common mix-up is the AH-64 Apache, which flies in the Netherlands, Britain and Greece. At air shows you also meet the Bell AH-1 Cobra or the hulking Mil Mi-24.

The operators: Germany, France, Spain, Australia

Germany: The Bundeswehr originally ordered 80 Tigers; in 2013 the number was reduced to 57 operational aircraft. The only flying unit is Combat Helicopter Regiment 36 “Kurhessen” in Fritzlar. Pilots are trained at the German-French training center in Le Luc in southern France, which Airbus honored in 2023 for 20 years of the “Tiger school.” German Tigers flew in Afghanistan from December 2012 and in Mali from March 2017. There, an aircraft crashed on July 26, 2017, and both pilots were killed. In May 2023 Germany decided not to take part in the Mk III modernization. Instead the Bundeswehr is procuring more armed H145Ms. According to current plans the Tiger will be retired by 2032 at the latest.

France: The French Army is the largest Tiger operator. The first deployments came from 2009 in Afghanistan; in 2011 Tigers operated from the helicopter carrier Tonnerre over Libya, and from 2013 in Mali. Airbus also mentions the Central African Republic. The focus is the 5th Combat Helicopter Regiment in Pau as well as other Army aviation units, plus training in Le Luc. The HAPs are gradually being converted to HAD.

Spain: Spain flies 18 HAD-Es with Spike guided missiles. The six HAPs initially delivered have been retired. Spain wants to bring its HADs up to the Mk III standard.

Australia (historical): The 1st Aviation Regiment flew 22 Tiger ARHs, 18 of them assembled in Brisbane. In January 2021 Australia ordered 29 AH-64E Apaches as successors. In September 2026 the Army said farewell to the Tiger after around two decades of service.

Country	Version (as of October 2026)	Focus
Germany	UHT/KHT, retirement by 2032 at the latest	Fritzlar, training in Le Luc
France	HAP and HAD, Mk III modernization	Pau and other Army aviation units
Spain	18 HAD-E, Mk III modernization	Spanish Army
Australia	retired in September 2026	successor AH-64E

Tiger Mk III: the future in France and Spain

France and Spain are sticking with the Tiger. With the Tiger Mk III program the helicopter gets new avionics, more modern communications and new armament. A 2022 agreement provided for France to modernize 42 aircraft from 2029 and Spain 18 from 2030. Airbus still describes the program as ongoing. How many French Tigers will actually be converted in the end has been discussed repeatedly in recent years. So follow the official announcements before you commit to numbers.

For spotters this means: in France and Spain you will see the Tiger for a long time yet, while in Germany it is worth making use of the remaining years.

Where to photograph Tigers best

Attack helicopters rarely pass by commercial airports. Most good pictures are taken at events or, with luck, in training areas.

Place	Chance of a hit	Why
Bundeswehr Day, open days	high	Tigers are often in the static display
ILA Berlin and Paris Air Show	medium to high	manufacturers and armed forces show their helicopters
Area around Fritzlar and Pau	medium	regular training activity, but observe photo rules
Civil commercial airports	low	only during ferry flights or special situations

You can find dates in the overview of air shows in Europe, details on ILA Berlin and the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget. When the Bundeswehr opens its gates is covered in the article Bundeswehr Day and open days of the air force. Which rules apply at the fence is explained in the article Photographing military airfields: rules. Military movements only sometimes show up in tracking services – more on that under Tracking military aircraft online.

Photo tips for the Tiger

As with any helicopter, the shutter speed decides. If it is too short, the rotor stands still and the Tiger looks like a model.

The guide Photographing propellers: the right shutter speed shows more on the technique, and general tips can be found under Helicopter spotting. You can plan the right light with the sun position guide.

Common mix-ups and how to rule them out

Conclusion

The Tiger is Europe’s own attack helicopter: slim, compact, with a tandem cockpit and an open three-blade tail rotor. You can easily recognize the versions – ball above the rotor with no cannon means Germany, roof sight with a chin cannon means France or Spain. Australia retired its Tigers in September 2026, and the Bundeswehr will follow by 2032 at the latest. If you still want to catch the German Tiger in the air, the next few years are the best opportunity. In France and Spain it will fly considerably longer with the Mk III program. You can find background on the manufacturer at Airbus Helicopters.