machines were deployed to the ALAT [Aviation
Légère de l’Armée de Terre, ALAT, French
Army Light Aviation] base at Le Luc, which
is the headquarters of the Franco-German
Pilot Training School. They remained here
for training the instructor pilots. The third
Tigre, ET-703, was delivered in June 2006
and also stayed in Le Luc for tuition.
“In April the following year these three
helicopters were flown to the FAMET’s Base
‘Coronel Sánchez Bilbao’ in Almagro [Ciudad
Real province] and were officially taken on
strength by BHELA I. They also received the
Spanish military designation HA.28 [HA for
attack helicopter]. Serials ET-704 and ET-705
were received in March and September 2008,
and in January 2010 ET-706 arrived at Almagro,
providing a full complement of six HAPs.
“In December 2014 the first two HADs,
ET-707 and ET-708, arrived, followed by ET-709
in February 2015 and ET-710 the following
September. The first four examples of the
new HAD Block 2 variant – ET-711, ET-712,
ET-713 and ET-714 – arrived in December
- Last year saw ET-175 arrive in February,
ET-716 in April and ET-718 in July.”
The remaining six were due to be delivered
by early this year, while ET-717 remains
with Airbus Helicopters España at Albacete,
for on-going trials with new hardware and
upgrades to the operational software.
Evolving doctrine
While a final decision on the future shape
of the FAMET has yet to be taken, it seems
likely that Spain will adopt an ‘air assault
brigade’ doctrine, similar to that followed by
the British and Dutch armies. This straddles
the French and German approaches,
combining helicopter units with ground
forces elements (light infantry paratroopers),
under one organic command tailored to
perform large-scale airmobile operations.
The Ejército de Tierra (ET, Spanish Army) is
considering setting up a brigade-type force
that will feature helicopters heavily and,
according to the assigned mission, could be
Iberia’s big cats
Above: Eyes of the Tiger – the Thales
TopOwl helmet-mounted sight display
provides the pilot with critical fl ight data
and fi ring symbologies. BHELA I Below:
Tigre HAD-E Block 2 ET-714 in fl ight near
its Almagro base last October. The most
noteworthy external difference compared
with the HAP is the HF ‘towel rail’ antenna
on the left side of the fuselage. All photos
Salvador Mafé Huertas unless stated
The old and the new. Tigre HAP-E ET-701, the fi rst example
to be delivered, and a FAMET Bo 105, that last of the type
being retired last December. The Tigre shared Almagro’s
ramp with the Bölkow for ten years.
http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #361 APRIL 2018 // 95
