Eurocopter is targeting Finland and Spain as the next likely customers for its Tiger attack helicopter. The EADS subsidiary has also rolled out the first production Tiger, a UHT variant for the German Army. Jean-François Bigay, Eurocopter president and chief executive, says it is also talking to countries in the Middle East and South-East Asia, including Singapore.
Finland has a need for around 20 armed helicopters, says Bigay. The country is viewed as a good prospect by Eurocopter, as, along with Norway and Sweden, it recently ordered the NH90 - developed by NH Industries, an AgustaWestland, Eurocopter and Fokker joint venture - and because EADS owns a stake in local aerospace company Patria. Eurocopter is also hopeful of sales to other Nordic states - none of which operates attack helicopters. Madrid is deliberating between the Tiger and Boeing AH-64 Apache for its 25-helicopter requirement, he says.
Eurocopter's singling out of Singapore as a potential customer appears odd, as the city state is about to take delivery of its first Apaches.
So far, France and Germany have ordered 60 Tigers each. Deliveries of the UHT multi-role machine to Germany begin at year-end, with the French army receiving anti-tank HAP versions from June 2003. Australia has also signed a deal for 22 Tigers, which will be assembled locally.
Export orders are seen as essential to the credibility of the programme and Europe's common defence policy.
"It would be crazy to send French, German and Spanish soldiers into combat with different equipment," says Bigay.
Source: Flight International
