The first production Eurocopter Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopter (ARH), destined for the Australian Army aviation corps, took to the skies for the first time on the eve of Asian Aerospace.
The aircraft completed a 50min test flight at Eurocopter's Marignane, France plant, allowing test pilot Jacques Larra and flight test engineer Bernard Jansonnie to put the Tiger through its paces.
Eurocopter says the ARH variant of the Tiger, which is armed with 70mm rockets and Hellfire II missiles, as well as Australian specific communications and data transmission system, will now begin a qualification flight test programme. The first two ARH Tigers are due for delivery at the end of 2004.
Eurocopter has two further aircraft on the assembly line in Marignane, while its subsidiary Australian Aerospace has another three on its line in Queensland.
Crew training is due to begin in January next year with preliminary military certification of the ARH Tiger due in March of the same year.
The aviation corps should have its first squadron operational in Darwin by June 2007 with deliveries scheduled for completion by April 2008. Eurocopter is contracted to manufacture 22 ARH Tigers, 18 of which will be assembled in Australia.
Australia selected the Tiger in August 2001.
PAUL DERBY
Source: Flight Daily News
