The Eurocopter Tiger is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter which first entered service in Airbus Helicopters designates it as the EC Development of the Tiger started during the Cold War , and it was initially intended as an anti-tank helicopter platform to be used against a Soviet ground invasion of Western Europe.
During its prolonged development period the Soviet Union collapsed , changing the European security situation. France and Germany chose to proceed with the Tiger, developing it instead as a multirole attack helicopter. It achieved operational readiness in The Tiger has the distinction of being the first all-composite helicopter developed in Europe; even the earliest models also incorporate other advanced features such as a glass cockpit , stealth technology , and high agility to increase its survivability.
Improved variants have since entered service, outfitted with more powerful engines and compatible with a wider range of weapons. Since entering service, Tigers have been used in combat in Afghanistan , Libya , and Mali. In , the French and West German governments issued a requirement for an advanced anti-tank helicopter , with one variant desired by the French dedicated to the escort and anti-helicopter role.
As originally planned, both countries would procure a total of helicopters. The West Germans planned on acquiring models of the anti-tank variant named PAH-2 Panzerabwehrhubschrauber or "Anti-tank helicopter" , with deliveries starting at the end of In , the development programme was effectively canceled due to spiraling costs; it had been officially calculated that supplying the German forces with an equivalent number of US-produced McDonnell Douglas AH Apache attack helicopters would have been a considerably cheaper alternative to proceeding with the development of the Tiger.
In July , a government report into the project alleged that development had become distanced from the requirements and preferences of its military customers. France and Germany reorganised the programme, including steps such as the adoption of fixed-term contracts which placed greater financial risk upon the private firms involved. Thomson CSF also took over the majority of Tiger's electronic development work, such as the visual systems and sensors. The first prototype took the Tiger's maiden flight on 27 April that lasted for 30 minutes.
