Support Aircraft To Be Deployed In Afghanistan

The Germany Army has received the last of 12 Tiger UHT support helicopters upgraded by Airbus Helicopters for Afghanistan missions to support ground troops, protect convoys and perform reconnaissance operations. This milestone rotorcraft – presented during a delivery ceremony at Airbus Helicopters’ Donauwörth, Germany production facility – was provided to the military service’s 36 Combat Helicopter Regiment.

It completed the three batches of four Tiger UHT support helicopters modified to the ASGARD (Afghanistan Stabilization German Army Rapid Deployment) configuration through a program launched in late 2011 by Airbus Helicopters and the German Federal Ministry of Defense. The ASGARD conversion includes installation of engine sand filters and additional ballistic protection, along with the incorporation of a mission data recorder and enhanced communication equipment for multinational missions.

The German Armed Forces began deploying its initial Tiger UHTs modified to the ASGARD configuration in December 2012, with operations beginning a month later in Mazar-e-Scharif. To date, these ASGARD-upgraded Tigers have accumulated well over 1,000 flight hours in German military service, demonstrating their high reliability, mission effectiveness, and a high level of acceptance during support missions.

“The Tiger ASGARD program is the result of a successful and close cooperation between Airbus Helicopters and the German Armed Forces,” said Wolfgang Schoder, the Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters in Germany. “Today’s milestone underscores our ability to develop and implement upgrades that meet specific army requirements in highly-demanding environments such as Afghanistan.”

The ASGARD retrofit was performed by Airbus Helicopters at its Donauwörth site, which also is home to the final assembly line for Germany’s Tiger UHT support helicopter versions. Overall, Airbus Helicopters has delivered more than 100 Tigers in their various versions to the military services of Germany, France, Spain and Australia – accumulating more than 50,000 flight hours, including over 7,500 hours logged during military operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali and Somalia.

(Image provided by Airbus Helicopters)

FMI: www.airbushelicopters.com