Despite France usually building successful aircraft, from 11 minutes 17 seconds in you'll see the Tiger "Tigre", including Australia's mistakeat 12 minutes 25 seconds in buying it and keeping it.
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Australia has spent more than a decade and more than a $1 Billion trying to turn its 22 dysfunctional Eurocopter, now Airbus, Tiger Armed Reconnaisance Helicopters (ARH) into viable weapon systems. Wags indicate that the selection of the Tiger in 2001 was based much on its ability to
loop-the-loop, rather than choosing proven, battle-tested US Apaches or Cobras.
- On 1 July 2007, because of delays in attaining operational capability, Australia's Defence Materiel Organisation stopped all payments in regards to the procurement.[23]
- The first two ARH helicopters were delivered to Australia on 15 December 2004. ARH deliveries were to be completed by June 2010 with Full operating capability planned for December 2011.[99]
- In October 2010, it was revealed that the helicopters will not be fully operational for another two years.[25]
- In 2012 after three incidents with cockpit fumes that endangered aircrew, Australian pilots voted to not fly until all safety concerns were addressed.[100]
- The system cost (helicopter, armament, support) and unit cost varies between variants; Australia's Tiger ARH has a price per unit of A$68 million,[50]
- The 2016 Australian Defence White Paper stated that the Tiger helicopters will be replaced with other armed reconnaissance aircraft in the mid 2020s.[102] Issues cited include lack of commonality with the other Tiger variants, high maintenance cost of the engines and the shipping time of sending parts to Europe for repair and reconditioning.
On October 9, 2017 DEFENCE CONNECT reported that:
In May [2017, the then], Chief of Army [and now Chief of the Australian Defence Force]
General Angus Campbell...said at Senate estimates that, despite reaching final operating capability (FOC), nine caveats [for the Tiger] have not been met.
"There are nine specific areas of capability that have not met that level we anticipated when we purchased the aircraft," said GEN Campbell.
"We would have to consider either the nature of the operations or the flight envelope in which the aircraft was operating in order to find other ways to mitigate or prevent those lesser capability outcomes being of concern to us on operations."
The aircraft was further criticised, with GEN Campbell noting it is unlikely it will ever achieve its original target.
"I don't think it will be achieving its original target, I do think it has the potential to achieve its budgeted target," he said."PETE COMMENT
So Australia's Tiger helicopters will never fly in action, and certainly haven't ever flown in our Middle East/Afghanistan war zones. But the 22 Tigers have only cost the taxpayer more than $1 Billion, so far. Problem solved.
Pete