Eurocopter EC665 Tiger HAD

The HAD (Hélicoptère d'Appui Destruction; in Spain, Helicóptero de Apoyo y Destrucción) was born in September 2003, when the Spanish Army selected a variant of the Tiger HAP tailored to its requirements. Airframe, Strix roof sight and 30 mm turret are those of the HAP, but the HAD is powered by MTR390-E (Enhanced) turboshafts, some 14 % more powerful than the original MTR390-2C — 1,092 kW in normal operation and 1,322 kW in contingency mode — which raises maximum take-off weight to 6,600 kg and improves performance in hot environments. At Spanish request it also gained better ballistic protection and satellite uplink and downlink antennas. Its main weapons are the AGM-114 Hellfire II anti-tank missile on French aircraft and Rafael's Spike-ER, licence-built by General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas, on Spanish ones, up to eight per aircraft, plus rockets, gun pods and four Mistral. Airbus markets it as a multi-role helicopter for attack, escort, fire support, armed reconnaissance and air-to-air combat.

Spain and France signed the development contract in December 2004. Spain ordered 24 aircraft and France, when it restructured its order in December 2005, turned its remaining 40 HAC/HAP into 40 HAD, at an estimated unit cost of 35.6 million euros in 2012 prices. The production HAD made its maiden flight at Marignane in December 2007; the first Spanish HAD began flight testing at Albacete on 16 September 2010 and the first French HAD flew on 17 December 2010. Airbus notes that the HAD Block 2 is navy-capable, able to operate from ships.

The first French Tiger HAD was delivered at the end of 2012 to the GAM/STAT at Valence, tasked with developing joint HAP-HAD operations, since both versions serve side by side in the same units. Early production HADs (Block 1) reached Mali in November 2014, and in December 2015 the DGA added seven HADs to the order. That same month France decided to standardise its whole fleet on the HAD: from November 2015 Airbus Helicopters has been converting the HAP-F — new engines, laser designator in the Strix, wiring and components — and the first upgraded aircraft was delivered on 8 December 2017. The stated goal is a fleet of 67 HAD in 2025 built on the 40 HAP and 15 HAD delivered by the end of 2015 plus 12 HAP on order; the HAD-F Mk I count 31 delivered including conversions, and the Mk II standard saw its first delivery on 25 October 2024.

HAD-E deliveries to the FAMET took place between 2013 and 2017, the first two at the end of 2014, and the order was cut from 24 to 18 aircraft over that decade; the six earlier HAP-E were never converted. In March 2013 Spain deployed three HADs to Afghanistan in support of its ground forces.

In January 2016 France, Australia, Germany and Spain began defining a common upgrade, the Mk III, centred on a shared anti-tank missile and on communications. In March 2022 Airbus announced the agreement with France and Spain: 42 French HADs upgraded with deliveries from 2029 and 18 Spanish from 2030, with the prototype expected to fly in 2025. The Mk III replaces the Hellfire II with the MAST-F (Missile Air-Sol Tactique Futur), renews the mast-mounted electro-optical system, the helmet-mounted sight, radios and datalinks for manned-unmanned teaming, navigation synchronised with Galileo and the whole tactical data management avionics. Germany stayed out, preferring more armed H145Ms, so the HAD is today the Tiger's only evolutionary line.