A
USTRALIA’S DEPARTMENT
OF Defence has initiated the
search for a replacement of
its Airbus Helicopters Tiger
Armed Reconnaissance
Helicopter (ARH). A Request
for Information (RFI) was issued by the
Capability Acquisition and Sustainment
Group (CASG) on July 1, seeking 29 attack
helicopters under Project LAND 4503. It
stipulates that the new platform should be
a ‘proven and mature, off-the-shelf ’ system
to ‘deliver armed reconnaissance efforts
in close and deep contested battlespace.’
While the cost of the acquisition was not
mentioned, previous estimates indicated
that AU$5-6 billion would be spent on
the program.
The RFI calls for the availability of a
squadron of 12 helicopters for initial
operating capability (IOC) with the
Australian Army Aviation Corps (AAvn)
by 2026, including a troop of four aircraft
able to be operationally deployed.At the declaration of full operational
capability (FOC) by 2028, up to a squadron
(12 aircraft) should be available for
deployment. It also specifies that 24
airframes will be based at a single location,
with the remaining five to be tasked for
training at a separate base. Should the
current Tiger ARH basing arrangements be
followed, this would be with the AAvn’s 1st
Aviation Regiment at Robertson Barracks
in Darwin, Northern Territory, and the
Army Aviation Training Centre in Oakey,
Queensland, respectively.Tiger troubles
Some 22 Tiger ARHs were ordered in
2001 under Project Air 87 Phase 2 to
replace Bell 206B-1 Kiowas and UH-1H
Iroquois ‘Bushranger’ gunships. While
based on the French and German design,
it incorporated multitude of changes
to the avionics, a new communications
system, roof- and helmet-mounted sight
display systems and Hellfire missiles. Theinitial four aircraft were contracted for
production in France while the rest were
to be assembled locally by Airbus Australia
Pacific (formerly Australian Aerospace).
While first deliveries began in
December 2004, delays to the French
airworthiness certification program
caused schedule slips. Coupled with
design issues, low fleet reliability
and sustainability, as well as crew
training deficiencies, key operational
capability milestones were missed.
It was subsequently recognized that
the Tiger was a program that was
developmental rather than off-the-
shelf as initially envisioned, leading to
increased exposure to schedule, cost and
capability risks.
A revised acquisition and delivery
schedule was signed with Airbus
Australia Pacific, which established a
program to retrofit all aircraft to the
contracted final configuration. This was
accomplished by December 2012.
FOC was finally announced in April
2016, some seven years behind schedule.
However, just five months later, a report
by the Australian National Audit Office
(ANAO) was critical of the decision. It
highlighted that the declaration was
made with nine operational caveats —
capability shortfalls between the initial
project requirements in 2001 and the
capability realized at the FOC milestone.
Areas with deficiencies highlighted
included the self-protection system,
availability, datalink incompatibility with
other systems, supply chain sustainment
issues and the employment of the AGM-
114M model of the Hellfire missile, which
was no longer manufactured.The Tiger ARH of the Australian Army was thought to have
overcome its troubled past. However, the start of a search for its
replacement indicates that its fate may have been decided.REPORT Roy Choo
AUSTRALIA
TACKLES ATTACK
HELICOPTER TROUBLES
Troops conduct
a weapons load
on Tiger ARH at a
forward arming
and refueling
point (FARP).
Commonwealth
of AustraliaINDUSTRY REPORT // AUSTRALIAN TIGERS
68 September 2019 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
68-69 Australian tigers C.indd 68 18/07/2019 16:11