EC-665 Tiger HAD

This page is about the French attack helicopter EC-665 Tiger HAD. For other versions, see EC-665 Tiger HAP and EC-665 Tiger UHT.

EC-665 Tiger HAD

EC-665 Tiger HAD

France

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
10.7	11.0	10.7

Class:

Attack helicopter

Utility helicopter

Research:400 000

Purchase:1 020 000

Show in game

Description

During the late '80s and early '90s, Airbus, DASA, and Aérospatiale formed Eurocopter to create the next generation of European helicopters. Their most famous example was the Tiger helicopter, earning notorious on-screen fame after starring as an important plot point in the 1995 James Bond movie "Goldeneye". The Tiger and its derivatives would go on to have a long and prosperous life with many european countries, and were adapted into different variants to suit the needs of each operator. The Eurocopter Tiger family would be renamed to the Airbus EC665 Tiger after Eurocopter was renamed to Airbus Helicopters SAS. The HAD variant, standing for Hélicoptère d'Appui Destruction, or "Helicopter for Support and Destruction", is a specially made version for the French air force which favours heavy frontline support and anti-tank duties over the older HAP model. In 2022, Airbus and France reached an agreement to upgrade the existing Tiger HADs into a new block, allowing them to carry better ordnance and avionics.

Introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision", the Tiger HAD provides a great CAS option for the French tech tree in top rank tank battles, thanks to its great avionics (MAW), optics (Thermals), and decent selection of various missiles for various jobs, including Mistrals and Stingers for the air-to-air role, along with HOT-3 ATGMs and AGM-114K Hellfire missiles to provide longer range ground support. The HAD is a popular pick both for mixed battles and helicopter enduring confrontation PvE battles where it can make short work of targets from a safe distance thanks to its decent missile selection and great optics.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 1 000 m315 km/h

Max altitude4 300 m

Engine2 х MTU Turbomeca Rolls-Royce MTR390-E

Power1 467 hp

Take-off weight6 t

Fully spaded without load this attack helicopter can fly 315 km/h in cruise speed. In reality with the most common load of 8 x Hellfire missiles and 4 x Mistrals is reaching almost 300 km/h which is still really great. Tiger itself requires skill to fly. Proper manipulation of collective pitch and understanding in what circumstances you as a pilot cannot overload the engines and how to perform aggressive manoeuvres (especially on low attitudes and against planes) will make this machine extremely deadly. Tiger feels heavy but agile at the same time.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 1,000 m)		Max altitude (metres)
	AB	RB
Stock	291	277	4300
Upgraded	334	315

Survivability and armour

Crew2 people

Speed of destruction

Structural460 km/h

Gear420 km/h

This is one of the best-protected helicopters in the game, thanks to the composite tub around the crew and the firewall separating the 2 engines. To make use of this, when attacked by plane, the best option is to face it frontally to create the smallest possible area to hit. But like every helicopter damaged near engines, the main rotor or tail (OTOMATIC's rain of explosive shells is very dangerous) can be taken down fairly quickly.

• AMAP-AIR, Advanced Modular Armour Protection - Air: Composite martial encloses all the crew compartment - 20 mm thick
• Kevlar seats - 5 mm thick
• Single steel firewall between the engines - 8 mm thick

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB8 785 → 14 301

RB4 083 → 6 647

SB5 206 → 8 475

Total cost of modifications303 000

446 000

Talisman cost2 800

Crew training290 000

Experts1 020 000

Aces2 800

Research Aces1 080 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

100 / 240 / 330 %

232 / 232 / 232 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Compressor Research: 12 000 Cost: 18 000 290 Replacing helicopter blades Research: 23 000 Cost: 34 000 550 Engine Research: 15 000 Cost: 22 000 360	Flak jacket Research: 12 000 Cost: 18 000 290 Helicopter frame Research: 23 000 Cost: 34 000 550 EFS Research: 15 000 Cost: 22 000 360 Cover Research: 33 000 Cost: 48 000 780	TELSON 12 Research: 12 000 Cost: 18 000 290 aden_new_gun Research: 12 000 Cost: 18 000 290 MAW Research: 12 000 Cost: 18 000 290 HOT-3 Research: 23 000 Cost: 34 000 550 AGM-114 Research: 15 000 Cost: 22 000 360 AIM-92 Stinger Research: 15 000 Cost: 22 000 360 NVD Research: 15 000 Cost: 22 000 360 AGM-114 2 Research: 33 000 Cost: 48 000 780 ATAM Research: 33 000 Cost: 48 000 780

Armaments

Night vision devices

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Thermal imager

Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Ballistic Computer
CCIP (Guns)	CCIP (Rockets)	CCIP (Bombs)

Offensive armament

The EC-665 Tiger HAD is armed with:

• 1 x 30 mm GIAT M781 cannon, nose turret (450 rpg)
• 64 x countermeasures

The 30 mm cannon only fires high explosive ammo (4 mm penetration), so it is advised only to use it against aircraft and light-armoured, open-topped vehicles.

Suspended armament

The EC-665 Tiger HAD can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

	1	2	3	4
SNEB type 23 rockets	12	22	22	12
AGM-114K Hellfire II missiles		2, 4	2, 4
ATAS (AIM-92) missiles	2			2
HOT-3 missiles		2, 4	2, 4
Mistral missiles	2			2

Default weapon presets
Without load 44 x SNEB type 23 rockets 68 x SNEB type 23 rockets 4 x HOT-3 missiles 8 x HOT-3 missiles 4 x AGM-114K Hellfire II missiles 8 x AGM-114K Hellfire II missiles 4 x ATAS (AIM-92) missiles 4 x Mistral missiles

Defensive systems

The EC-665 Tiger HAD only has the following Defensive systems installed:

• Flares - installs 60 Flares.
• MAW - Missile Approach Warning system.
• ATAM - Air To Air Missile.

The MAW system allows for 60 Flares to be installed, along with warnings that missiles have been launched. The ATAM allows for the Mistral air-to-air missile to be installed, these are installed on each wing's hard point, which means 50% of the available hard points are used by the mistral air-to-air missiles, meaning the suspended armament are reduced by half. However, the Mistral missiles are one of the best missiles in the game, able to destroy anything which it locks on to.

Usage in battles

For Realistic and Simulation Battles, the best tactic is to stay as low as possible and at first perform reconnaissance. If you start with the helicopter, your first goal is to find and take down enemy helicopters on flanks (don't bother on ones over the battlefield, as you will most likely be destroyed by anti-aircraft fire). It is best to use flares before you think you might need them, as firing them too late are a very common mistake that helicopter pilots make, as when the red launch is an indication that it already may be too late.

The second task is to find good flank position or behind if possible (watch out for helipads anti-aircraft fire) spot to scan for potential ground enemies. Targeting sight on top of the cabin called STRIX gives the possibility to stay low and watch the area around. Use thermal vision, but don't hesitate to switch back to normal view (especially while shooting HOT-3 missiles, which might cause light-bloom and obscure your view in thermal-mode). The Tiger can carry up to 8 x Hellfire missiles. The biggest advantage of AGM-114 is the fact that while shooting they do not give up and will continue to seek the enemy's helicopter position until the fuel runs out, unlike others directly shot ATGMs. In terms of effectiveness, it can be very deadly but only when know how to use it, however since Hellfire attacks from the top it might be hard to hit moving targets with it. The best way is to aim and shoot behind or before the target and in the last moment re-aim on the enemy (typically around four seconds before hit-this technique requires practice). This might make your chance higher to directly hit the enemy on the move. Once again stay low, between buildings, trees, almost on the ground if necessary, listen to the sky for planes sound. Don't stay in gunner's view too long. Watch what's going on around you all the time. Eurocopter Tiger HAD has all the tools to fight with air and ground and to survive. Use all tools, bind all keys for easy access (flares, hoover mode, aim, and launch AA mistrals). It's a high learning curve, high reward, deadly machine.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Tough airframe, can withstand multiple hits from 9K127 Vikhr missiles
• Very agile and fast
• Great manoeuvrability at low speeds
• Great payload selection
• Mistral missiles are some of the best in-game air to missiles, great range and lock-on

Cons:

• Lacks the same level of defensive systems as on rival platforms from NATO AH-64D Longbow and Russia's Ka-52 Alligator
• Only has four wing mounts, compared to the six on the American AH-64D Longbow and Russia's Ka-52 Alligator
• Only 8 ATGMs compared to its contemporaries with 12 or even 16 ATGMs

History

The EC-665 Tiger HAD is an improved model of the Tiger HAP. HAD stands for Hélicoptère d'Appui Destruction in French and Helicóptero de Apoyo y Destrucción in Spanish for "Support and Destruction Helicopter". The Spanish Army ordered 24 Tiger HADs in 2004, while the French Army Light Aviation (ALAT) ordered 40. France also decided to upgrade their existing Tiger HAPs to the HAD standard starting in 2015.

The Tiger HAD is mostly similar to the earlier Tiger HAP, but with more powerful Enhanced MTR390 engines with 14% more engine power. This increased the maximum takeoff weight to 6,600 kg. Additionally, the communications suite was expanded with an Up Link and Down Link satellite antenna. The ballistic protection was also increased due to a request by the Spanish Army.

The armament consists of a 30 mm Nexter (formerly GIAT) M781 nose-mounted gun turret, and either 68 mm SNEB or 70 mm Hydra 70 rockets, Hellfire II anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), or Mistral air-to-air missiles in French service. Other armaments are available for the Spanish helicopters; they use the Spike-ER rather than the Hellfire II ATGMs. The EC-665 Tiger HAD can be used in the attack, escort, fire support, reconnaissance, and air-to-air combat roles.

Spanish Tiger HADs were deployed to Afghanistan in March 2013, in order to support the Spanish ground forces that were already there. The first French combat deployment of the Tiger HAD was to Mali in November 2014, as support for the French intervention in the Mali War; they were sent to Mali after being deemed combat capable.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the EC-665 Tiger HAD from live.warthunder.com.

Images

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Videos

The Shooting Range #167 - Metal Beasts section at 00:32 discusses the Eurocopter Tiger.

See also

• AH-64D
• EC-665 Tiger UHT
• Mi-28N and Ka-52
• AH Mk.1

External links

• [Development] Eurocopter Tiger: Pouncing on the Prey