France and Spain Launch Tiger MkIII Upgrade Program

Airbus Helicopters will upgrade 42 aircraft for France and 18 for Spain, with the possibility for Germany to join the Tiger MkIII program later By DA Staff / 07 Mar 2022

Discover Leading Defense Technology Solutions

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
tiger-mkiii
Follow DA

Airbus Helicopters has been awarded a contract for the development, production, and initial in-service support of the Tiger MkIII attack helicopter upgrade program. 

OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation) awarded the contract on behalf of the French and Spanish Armament General Directorate, the DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement) and the DGAM (Dirección General de Armamento y Material).

The contract includes the upgrade of 42 aircraft for France (with the possibility to add another 25 helicopters) and 18 for Spain. The contract also provides the possibility for Germany to join the Tiger MkIII program later. 

The first prototype is scheduled for an inaugural flight in 2025. First delivery to the DGA will take place in late 2029 followed by a first delivery to Spain in 2030. Development and upgrade work will be conducted in Airbus Helicopters facilities in Albacete (Spain), Marignane (France) and Donauwörth (Germany).  

“The Tiger MkIII program will provide a European answer to the need for a state-of-the-art attack helicopter for the decades to come. With this upgrade, the Tiger will remain an essential and modern asset to its armies and reinforce defense cooperation in Europe,” said Bruno Even, Airbus Helicopters CEO. “The Tiger MkIII will have no equivalent in the world for high intensity operations and will further improve the connectivity, precision, and fire power capabilities of the current Tiger.”

Tiger MkIII is a comprehensive upgrade of the European attack helicopter’s systems. Proven in combat, the Tiger is difficult to detect, highly agile, and highly survivable, something operators will continue to benefit from with the MkIII upgrade. The new standard will allow the platform to be connected to the digital battlefield in order to perform Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) as well as share tactical information in real time. It will also provide a range of weapons (turret gun, laser-guided rockets and missiles) and renewed detection and targeting capabilities. The integration of state-of-the-art avionics will reduce the crew’s workload and enable them to be fully focused on mission execution.

TigerMkIII_INFOGRAPHIC

The Tiger MkIII standard configuration will include the integration of the Safran Strix NG sights, the Thales FlytX avionics suite, the Topowl DD helmet-mounted sight display, an Indra IFF upgrade, Thales GNSS, and Safran’s inertial navigation system. The communication suite will be upgraded with Thales’ Contact/Synaps radio and data links dedicated to MUM-T. Moreover, for Spain Link16 and SATCOM functionalities will be included. The Spanish Tiger MkIII will be equipped with a battlefield management system and countermeasures provided by Indra, whereas the French Tiger MkIII will be equipped with a battlefield management system by ATOS and countermeasures provided by Thales. The new weapon package for France will include the MBDA MAST-F (Future Tactical Air-to-Surface Missile) and Mistral 3 air-to-air missile. For Spain, new capabilities will  include 70mm guided rockets and a new air to ground missile.

Posted by DA Staff Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

The Importance of VPX Development Chassis for Defense Platforms

LCR explains how VPX development chassis support high-power payloads with advanced cooling options, while accelerating application development for critical embedded systems

Jun 13, 2025
Troposcatter Communication System Debuts in Asia Pacific at Indo Defence

Spectra Group introduces its mobile, satellite-independent Troposcatter on the Move system at Indo Defence 2025, enhancing resilient communications across maritime and littoral environments

Jun 13, 2025
UK MOD & GA-ASI Finalize Sustainment Contract for MQ-9B-Based Protector RG Mk1

The UK MOD and GA-ASI have signed a contract to support and sustain the RAF’s Protector RG Mk1, based on the MQ-9B

Jun 12, 2025
Neousys Brings Rugged Edge AI to IDET 2025 with Elvac

Neousys Technology displayed its rugged edge AI computers at IDET 2025, partnering with Elvac to showcase advanced solutions for armored vehicles, security drones, and UGVs

Jun 12, 2025
Advanced Unmanned Helicopter Systems for Critical Defense & Government Missions

Defense Advancement is showcasing Sabrobotix advanced unmanned helicopter platforms for mission-critical defense and government applications

Jun 12, 2025
Trillium Launches Advanced Gimbal for Medium & Long Range Reconnaissance

Trillium Engineering’s new HD45 LV R delivers advanced imaging performance in an ultra-light gimbal, optimized for long range and medium range ISR missions

Jun 11, 2025

Featured Content

Trillium Launches Advanced Gimbal for Medium & Long Range Reconnaissance

Trillium Engineering’s new HD45 LV R delivers advanced imaging performance in an ultra-light gimbal, optimized for long range and medium range ISR missions

Jun 11, 2025
Honeywell Unveils New Lightweight Tactical-Grade IMU

Honeywell has launched the HG3900 IMU, a compact tactical-grade unit with reduced size and power consumption while maintaining near-navigation-grade performance levels

Jun 10, 2025
Teledyne Marine Showcases Integrated Maritime Security Capabilities at SeaSEC Challenge 2025

Teledyne Marine joined SeaSEC Challenge 2025 to demonstrate integrated sonar, acoustic, and AUV technologies in live maritime threat scenarios, supporting international efforts to protect critical underwater infrastructure

Jun 05, 2025
Advancing Defense Capability Through Strategic Collaboration Defense Advancement works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive defense capabilities forward.