Eurocopter Tiger
ICAO TIGRThe Franco-German attack helicopter, and Europe's answer to the Apache. Live Tiger positions.
Flying right now
Live · 30s
No Eurocopter Tiger is transmitting ADS-B at the moment.
Military aircraft are not obliged to broadcast, so this happens regularly. The count refreshes every thirty seconds.
Airframe
- Manufacturer
- Airbus Helicopters
- Role
- Attack helicopter
- Class
- H2T — Helicopter, 2 turboshaft engines
- Crew
- 2
- First flight
- 27 April 1991
- In service
- 2003
Operators airborne
Nothing of this type is up right now.
About the Eurocopter Tiger
The Tiger came out of a Franco-German programme begun in the Cold War and delivered long after it ended, which is a familiar story for European defence projects. The result is a slim, largely composite attack helicopter flown by France, Germany, Spain and Australia.
It differs from the Apache in emphasis. It is lighter, quieter and built heavily from composites, with variants specialised differently between operators — France's HAD is a combat support and destruction version, Germany's UHT was built for anti-tank work.
Australia is replacing its fleet with the Apache. France and Spain are upgrading theirs to the Mk3 standard, extending the type well into the 2040s.
Callsign prefixes
- CTM
- Cotam — French Army Aviation
- GAF
- German Army Aviation
How to recognise it
- —A very narrow fuselage with two crew in tandem, and stub wings carrying weapons.
- —A mast-mounted sight above the rotor on the German version.
- —Slimmer and more rounded than an Apache, without the Longbow radar dome.
Common questions
+ How does the Tiger compare with the Apache?
It is lighter, more composite and quieter, with a smaller payload. The Apache carries more and has the Longbow radar; the Tiger was optimised for European conditions and multinational commonality.
+ Who flies the Tiger?
France, Germany and Spain. Australia operated it but is replacing its fleet with the AH-64E Apache.
+ What is the Tiger Mk3?
A planned major upgrade for France and Spain, with new avionics, sensors and weapons, intended to keep the type in service into the 2040s. Germany has withdrawn from the programme.