Julian Moxon/PARIS
FRENCH DEFENCE minister Francois Leotard is pushing his Government for a decision to bring forward the delivery date of the first Eurocopter Tiger battlefield helicopters by two years.
In a letter to a Government deputy on 14 March, Leotard says that he wants to see a decision taken on industrialisation of the Tiger by the middle of this year.
The aim is to encourage the UK and the Netherlands, both due to decide on their battlefield-helicopter requirements in the coming months. Their choices effectively lie between the Tiger and the McDonnell Douglas AH-64 Apache (Flight International, 15-22 February).
Three conditions must be met, says Leotard: agreement on a fixed price for Tiger production; signature of a production accord between France and Germany, which respectively have 70% and 30% shares in the Eurocopter consortium in charge of developing the Tiger; and agreement with industry on production costs.
The original date for first deliveries of the escort version of Tiger to the French army was 2001. This will now be bought forward to 1999. France is to buy 215 Tigers, and Germany 210, while the UK and the Netherlands have a requirement for 91 and 30 helicopters respectively.
Flight tests of the four flying prototypes built to date have been continuing. Eurocopter chief flight-test pilot Andrew Warner says that the fourth prototype, which is dedicated to the helicopter combat-support role, has successfully demonstrated operation of its steerable cannon, linked to the helmet-mounted display.
"We're shaking down the installed weapons system package and everything seems to be talking to everything else correctly," says Warner. Firing trials for the cannon and rockets are due to begin later this year.
Preparation of the fifth prototype, which is the first with full-up anti-tank-mission equipment, is under way, with the Osiris mast-mounted sight now under test at Eurocopter Deutschland's Ottobrun centre, and aboard a Panther testbed helicopter. The anti-tank version is scheduled to fly at the beginning of 1996.
Source: Flight International
