Tigre EC665 Eurocopter
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Tigre EC 665 Eurocopter multi-role attack helicopter
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The Eurocopter Tigre EC 665 is an attack helicopter designed and manufactured by the French Company Eurocopter. The first prototype first flew in April 1991. When Aerospatiale and MBB, among others, merged in 1992 to form the Eurocopter Group, the Tiger program was transferred as well. Serial production of the Tiger began in March 2002 and the first flight of the first production Tiger HAP for the French Army took place in March 2003. The delivery of the first of the eighty helicopters ordered by the French took place in September 2003. France has ordered 80 aircraft (40 HAP combat support and 40 HAD multi-role combat). The first HAP version was delivered in March 2005. Germany has ordered 80 combat support aircraft and the first UHT Tiger for Germany was delivered in April 2005. The Tiger ARH (Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter) is the world’s most advanced armed reconnaissance helicopter. It incorporates cutting-edge technologies, including composite airframe to minimise weight and reduce radar cross section, latest-generation engines and rotors, integrated suite of sensors and weapons, built-in low-cost maintenance design, and latest generation target identification and acquisition sight. |
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- Tigre HAP: The Tiger HAP/HCP (Hélicoptère d'Appui Protection, French for "Support and Escort Helicopter" / Hélicoptère de Combat Polyvalent[28] French for "Multipurpose Combat Helicopter"[29]) is a medium-weight air-to-air combat and fire support helicopter built for the French Army. It is fitted with a chin-mounted 30 mm gun turret and can carry 68 mm SNEB unguided rockets or 20 mm machine cannons for the fire support role as well as Mistral air-to-air missiles.
- Tiger UHT: The UHT (from Unterstützungshubschrauber Tiger German for Support Helicopter Tiger) is a medium-weight multi-role fire support helicopter built for the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces). - Tiger ARH: The Tiger ARH (Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter) is the version ordered by the Australian Army to replace its OH-58 Kiowas and UH-1 Iroquois-based 'Bushranger' gunships. - Tiger HAD: The Tiger HAD (Hélicoptère d'Appui Destruction, in French or Helicoptero de Apoyo y Destrucción in Spanish for "Support and Attack Helicopter") version is essentially identical to the HAP version, but with 14% more engine power available due to the upgraded Enhanced MTR390 engines (1,000 kW / 1,341 shp) and a better ballistic protection, as a result of the specific requests made by the Spanish Army. It can also be equipped with the PARS 3 LR anti-tank missiles that were originally developed for the German UHT version, the Hellfire II and is equipped with Spike ER for Spanish Army |
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| Design | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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The body of the Tigre EC 665 is made from 80% carbon fiber reinforced polymer and Kevlar, 11% aluminum, and 6% titanium. The rotors are made from fiber-plastic able to withstand combat damage and bird strikes. Protection against lightning and electromagnetic pulse is ensured by embedded copper/bronze grid and copper bonding foil. The Tiger has a conventional helicopter gunship configuration of the two crew seats in tandem, it is somewhat unusual in that the pilot is in the front seat and the gunner is in the back, unlike all other current attack helicopters. The seats are offset to opposite sides of the centerline to improve the view forward for the gunner in the back.
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The cockpit of the Tigre EC 665 is equipped two multi-function color displays which provide imagery from the gunner's sight, the FLIR and video image from the Dornier/VDO Eurogrid digital map generator. The French Tigre has a TopOwl Thales helmet-mounted sight for both crew stations and a head up display for the pilot. Standard avionics of the Tigre EC 665 includes a Display Unit (CDU). Navigation, communications and system status are controlled via the CDU. The CDU includes a Data Insertion Device (DID), which is a removable memory pack preprogrammed with mission data at a ground station. Tigre is also equipped with countermeasures equipment as a radar warning receiver, laser warning system, MILDS missile launch detector. The navigation system includes three-axis ring laser gyro units, two magnetometers, two air data computers, CMA 2012 four-beam Doppler radar, radio altimeter, global positioning system and a suite of low air speed sensors. |
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The Tigre EC 665 attack helicopter is powered by two MTU Turbomeca Rolls-Royce MTR390 turboshaft engines. The Tigre can fly at a maximum speed of 290 km/h with reconnaissance mast, 315 km/h without mast with a maximum range of 800 km.
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The Tigre EC 665 can be armed with a full range of weapons systems. Armament can include a 30mm cannon turret, 68 or 70mm unguided rockets, four Mistral air-to-air missiles, eight air-to-ground Helfire laser guided missile or 2x4 Spike ER missiles. |
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