![]() Both countries’ Tigers will also receive the Sagem SATEL integral communications and navigation system, which will house a Link-16 compatible Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) allowing the helicopters to share information with other Link-16 equipped aircraft, a vitally important addition for when the Tigers participate in NATO exercises and operations. Over the next five-to-10 years, the ALAT machines will also receive a data link to communicate with the French Army’s Bulle Operationnelle Aéroterrestre (Air-Land networked warfare system), while the German machines will be connected to the army’s FuInfoSys-H digital command and control network. One major change for both the French and German crews is the extent to which the helicopter can share and receive information with ground troops, other aircraft and vehicles, thanks to a suite of radios, including the Thales TRC9600 VHF, TRA6032 Very/Ultra High Frequency (V/UHF), TRA2020 V/UHF and standard FM systems. You have to manage several different weapons and you have to manage other workloads in the helicopter." "Therefore, there’s a bigger need for training. Now, the Tiger itself is easy to handle, but the workload can be very, very high," Degen said. "Up to now, we had weapons systems which for both nations were relatively easy to handle. So we can train on the simulator before we go on a real flight and this is something new and different."įor the French and Germans alike, the capabilities of the Tiger, in terms of weapons and avionics, represents a step change. It’s very important that the pilot and the weapons systems officer communicate their actions with each other, but to practice this, we have a lot of systems - Computer-Aided Training (CAT) and Full Mission Simulators (FMS), for example. "In the past, we only had one weapons system (the HOT anti-tank missile) on the Aerospatiale SA-342M Gazelle, so the Tiger workload can be very high. "For the first time, we are using three different weapons systems (gun, air-to-ground and air-to-air weapons)," Hartmann said. Thierry Hartmann, an ALAT instructor pilot also based at Le Luc. Now we’ve got so many more possibilities."ĭegen’s thoughts are echoed by Capt. ![]() "The information you got in the cockpit of older helicopter was very easy to handle. "The most challenging thing to deal with is the information flow," Degen said. Sven Degen, a Tiger instructor pilot with the Heeresfliegerstruppe (German Army Aviators’ Corps, or GAAC), the modern cockpit brings new challenges. But for those working with the helicopters and training new students at Le Luc, such as Lt. The ALAT will eventually receive 80 machines all of which will be configured to fire both the Mistral and Hellfire.įew would argue that the helicopter has an impressive array of weapons and avionics, including the VDO Luftfahrtgerate Werk GmbH and Thales Avionique multi-function displays that dominate each cockpit. In fact, the only two capabilities missing were the Mistral air-to-air and AGM-114 Hellfire II Air-to-Ground Missiles (AGM). ![]() Fire control systems including the Sagem Strix roof-mounted site and Thales TopOwl Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD) were also installed on this aircraft. This aircraft had the full compliment of capabilities, including the GIAT 1.1-inch (30 mm) cannon and 2.6-inch (68 mm) rockets. The first French aircraft was delivered in HAP (Hélicoptère d’Appui et de Protection) configuration for close air support and armed escort. ![]() Since then, the first cadre of French and German Tiger crewmembers and instructors have been training on the helicopter. The first helicopter was delivered to the joint Franco-German Eurocopter Tiger training school at Le Luc in southeast France on March 18, 2005. The first four machines entered service with the ALAT (Aviation Légére de l’Armée de Terre/French Army Aviation) 5th Combat Helicopter Regiment at Pau in southwest France last November and crews are now working on developing the concept of operations (ConOps) for these new aircraft. The French Army is confident its new Eurocopter EC-665 Tiger attack helicopters will be declared operational and mission-ready by the start of next year.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |