PAUL DERBY
Spain is likely to make a decision on a proposed purchase of attack helicopters by October and could become the first nation to field both the Boeing AH-64D Apache and the Eurocopter Tiger.
The Spanish government is still debating the make-up of the 30-aircraft purchase as it grapples with the contrasting demands of military and local industry leaders. The Spanish Army is a strong supporter of the Apache, but Spain's largest aerospace venture, formerly CASA, is now an integral part of EADS, the parent of Eurocopter.
Offset proposals will be crucial in the debate, which would swing the pendulum in favour of Eurocopter, although a compromise deal involving a lease of AH-64A Apaches is also on the table.
If that idea was adopted, Spain would lease six US Army AH-64As as an interim measure until 12 Longbow-equipped AH-64Ds were available in 2006. The remaining buy would then be made up of 18-armed reconnaissance versions of the Tiger.
Spain's decision will be a good barometer of just how much progress Eurocopter has made with the Tiger in its bid to oust the Apache from its position at the head of the attack helicopter market.
Throughout most of the 1990s the Apache consolidated its reputation with international deals in places such as the UK, the Netherlands and more recently in Israel, Singapore and Egypt among others.
Although the Apache was selected by Japan in its AH-X competition, the Tiger won the protracted Air 87 contract in Australia and is in the process of adding a number of new systems designed to improve further the aircraft's capabilities.
A transmission upgrade is being studied to improve hot-and-high performance, which is particularly important given upcoming competitions in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Eurocopter is also talking to Lockheed Martin about offering its Hawkeye target sight system, while the manufacturer is assessing an automatic target-detection and classification system to process ground and aerial threats.
Source: Flight Daily News
