First Tiger HAD Block 2 combat helicopter delivered to Spanish Army

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World Defense & Security News - Spain
 
 
First Tiger HAD Block 2 combat helicopter delivered to Spanish Army
 
A major milestone of the Tiger HAD combat helicopter project was achieved on 13 December 2016 with the delivery of the first Tiger HAD/E in Block 2 configuration to the Spanish Army. Three further helicopters will be delivered before the end of the year, the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) recently announced on its website.
     
First Tiger HAD Block 2 delivered to Spanish Army 640 001The first Spanish Tiger HAD Block 2 helicopter arriving at the Coronel Coronel Sánchez Bilbao airbase in Almagro, headquarter of the Attack Helicopter Battalion #1 of the Spanish Army Airmobile Force (FAMET)
(Credit: Spanish Army)
     
The Tiger HAD/E are produced on the final assembly line at the Airbus Helicopters España (AHE) facilities in Albacete, Spain.

The helicopters will be operated by the “Batallón de Helicópteros de Ataque I” (BHELA I) in Almagro (Spain), together with the six Tiger HAP/E and four Tiger HAD/E B1 already in service. The HAD/E B2 will provide a range of new capabilities to the Spanish Army, including a new software version with MMI (Man Machine Interface) improvements, a firing capability in combination with external combat tanks, and an HF (High Frequency) datalink.

The new Block 2 helicopter also features naval capabilities, an enlarged firing envelope for the Spike missile and the introduction of a new Engine Control Monitoring Unit (ECMU-B).

The delivery of the HAD/E B2 was enabled by the signature of the Tiger HAD B2 Qualification Statement on 5 December 2016.

The Tiger HAD (Helicoptero de Apoyo y Destrucción in Spanish) version is a upgraded variant of the Tiger HAP better suited for operations in hot environments. It features 14% more engine power due to the Enhanced MTR390 engines and a better ballistic protection. Spain ordered 24 of the HAD variant in December 2004, with the first two delivered in 2014.