Airforces - Typhoon school

support was undoubtedly a decisive factor
in the Tigre’s exceptional availability rate.
Capt Jorge Alfonso Lacort Chasco, a highly
experienced BHELA I pilot, with around 1,000
flight hours in the Bo 105 and 800 in the Tigre,
described his experience in Afghanistan:
“We had to perform many different types of
missions: protecting land convoys and aerial
formations, security missions and even close-
range fire support. Half of our missions were
to support Spanish troops, but we escorted
US, Italian and Lithuanian convoys as well as
part of NATO’s ISAF [International Security
Assistance Force] mission. Of course, we
also provided support for the Afghan armed
forces, which over time will be responsible
for maintaining peace within the country. The
majority of our escort missions were carried out
during daytime and were prepared 72 hours
in advance. However, we also participated in
logistical manoeuvres over routes considered
to be dangerous and in mountainous regions.
In such cases, we were deployed as part of
quick reaction alert missions, and the Tigres
(usually working in tandem formations) had
to be ready for take-off in only 30 minutes.

“Despite the high temperatures – up to 50°C

[122°F] in the summer – and the dust and

sand-laden atmosphere that made flying even

more difficult, the Tigres’ performance levels

consistently surpassed our expectations.

Their availability rate was 90%. We were also

pleasantly surprised by the fuel consumption. It

was less than expected, even with the added

weight of the weapons systems, and left us

with room for manoeuvre throughout the

flight. The Tigre’s powerful engines proved to

be another key feature, enabling it to provide

excellent performance at high altitudes [the

base in Herat is surrounded by mountain

peaks up to 13,000ft/3,962m]. Simply put,

the Tigre went well beyond the call of duty!”

Above: A veteran of the Tigre’s Afghan campaign, Capt Jorge Alfonso Lacort Chasco is a highly

experienced BHELA I pilot, with around 1,000 fl ight hours in the Bo 105 and 800 in the Tigre. Left: Tigre

HAP-E ET-706 was one of three examples from BHELA I deployed to Afghanistan between March and

December 2013. FAMET

AFM

The Tigre is highly responsive and offers excellent manoeuvrability. This is ET-703, the third of

the HAP-E variants to be delivered, in June 2006. It was initially retained at Le Luc for training.

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #361 APRIL 2018 // 97