The Chief of Staff of the Army, Pierre Schill, announced the deployment of four Tigre helicopters from the Light Aviation of the Army of the Land (ALAT) in the Gulf. They will reinforce the six Rafale of the Air Force sent on site, in support of those already present from Squadron 1/7 Provence. The helicopters offer an additional option in the fight against Iranian drones.
The Tigre is equipped with a 30mm cannon, with a firing rate of up to 720 rounds per minute, with a range of about 2,500 meters. In an interview with Le Point, Pierre Schill also mentioned “the integration of laser rockets on the Tigre, even though the goal is to use its cannon, which is very powerful.” He added that “we are testing interceptor drones on site.”
80% of Composite Materials
Introduced in 2005, the Tigre is a Franco-German combat helicopter designed by Airbus Helicopters, capable of day and night combat against slow ground or air targets (helicopters, slow aircraft, drones). It carries out protection and destruction support missions. Depending on the variant, it also carries four Mistral air-to-air missiles with a range of 6 km, and Hellfire anti-tank missiles, intended to be replaced by the Akeron long-range missile from MBDA, with a minimum range of 8 km.
Capable of flying at over 250 km/h at full load, the Tigre has an autonomy ranging from 2.5 to 4 hours, depending on the chosen configuration. Made up of 80% composite materials (Kevlar, carbon fiber), the helicopter offers excellent maneuverability, allowing it to perform loops, move agilely through complex operational environments like mountains, and travel backwards at a speed of 70 km/h.
Its deployment in the Middle East, to protect Gulf countries threatened by Iranian Shahed drones, is also intended to use less expensive options than the Mica missiles fired by the Rafale, estimated to cost between 600,000 and 700,000 euros per unit.
