At fifty-seven tons, the LeClerc is one of the smallest tanks currently in production. France operates 140 Rafales including the Rafale M, a navalized version of the fighter featuring strengthened landing gear and a tail hook for aircraft carrier flight operations.įrance’s main battle tank, the LeClerc, was designed toward the end of the Cold War to replace the AMX30 series of tanks. Rafales have flown in combat in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali and Iraq. Recent versions are capable of carrying the ASMP-A medium-range nuclear cruise missile. Though nearly thirty years old, upgrades such as the RBE2 AA active electronic scanning array (AESA) radar, Damocles targeting pod, Meteor air-to-air missiles and SCALP cruise missiles have kept the design competitive with other fourth-plus generation fighters. But work will also be performed at locations in Donauwörth, Germany and Marignane, France.Although small in stature, the Rafale packs a big punch with twelve wing-mounted hardpoints capable of mounting air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, sensors and drop tanks. With this upgrade, the Tiger will remain an essential and modern asset to its armies and reinforce defense cooperation in Europe.”Īirbus Helicopters will do final assembly at its Albacete, Spain, location. In addition, Spain will add SATCOM functionalities and Link16.īruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, said in a statement that “the Tiger MkIII program will provide a European answer to the need for a state-of-the-art attack helicopter for the decades to come. The battlefield management system and countermeasures will be supplied by Indra. Spain currently uses the Israeli-made Spike anti-tank missile on its Tigers. In addition the avionics will be overhauled so the Tiger can connect to the new Scorpion combat information system (SICS), gradually entering service in the French Army.įor Spain, new capabilities will include 70mm guided rockets and a new air to ground missile. The countermeasures will be provided by Thales, while the battlefield management system will be from ATOS. MHT can handle a wide variety of targets, day or night, including in beyond-line-of-sight mode. This missile, with a range of over 8 km, is 20% lighter than other missiles in its category, providing weight savings of nearly 100 kg for the helicopter which it can then use to up its fuel capacity. The French Tigers will carry the MHT high tier air-to-surface missile, derived from the mid-range MMP missile in service with the French Army since 2017. However, some technologies will be specific to each nation, notably the battle management systems and some of the weapons. Thales will provide both nations with the TopOwl helmet-mounted sight display, GNSS, FlytX avionics suite and Contact/Synaps tactical radio station. The sight includes a new designation laser, illuminator and rangefinder. Safran’s inertial navigation system is a joint choice, as is the Strix NG optronic sight that includes several sensors in the visible and infrared bands equipped with image correlation and stabilization. Instead, one of these aircraft will likely be used as the basis for the MKIII prototype scheduled for first flight in 2025, whilst the others will be used as a source of components.īoth nations will also equip their Tigers with the Mistral 3 air-to-air missile. Lack of money sidelined their scheduled upgrade to the HAD version. The remaining six, stored on the Colonel Sánchez Bilbao base in Ciudad Real (half-way between Madrid and Granada), are the original HAPs (helicoptère d’appui et protection) delivered to Spain in 2007 whilst awaiting the improved HAD version. These 18 MkIIIs will be delivered between 20. Spain, meanwhile, will spend €1.18 billion ($1.29 billion) to upgrade 18 of its 24 Tigers. It’s now possible Germany may join the upgrade program later this year, which France believes would lead to enough cost savings across the program to cover the remaining platforms. That option looks more likely today than it did two weeks ago, following Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s announcement of a €100 billion ($109 billion) increase in his nation’s defense budget in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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