Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

Some pics of the recent test of the Hellfire missile on the Australian Army’s new Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters (ARH) at Woomera testing range, in the South Australian outback.


Sorry, the link has gone.

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

Hey BM you were lucky to get close enough for those shots... ya must have been in the Kernal and slipped in without notice haha :}

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

I know it may be a stupid question , but what to the Aussies need an anti tank helicopter for , are the Kiwis that big a threat :D

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

Nope, not my photos. Check the link. Just thought they may be of interest to everyone. A very capable helicopter by all accounts.

QR, how's life in the sand-pit these days?

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

Widgeon, talking to some of the Army Aviation guys a few years ago, they wanted an Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter, not an anti-tank helicopter, so felt the Tiger fit the bill. I'm sure the Oz Army pilots on this site can tell you more.

The Kiwi's are not much of a threat (except in the Rugby...) with there current Prime Minister selling off the armed forces bit by bit.

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

The Tasmainians may invade the mainland........need them heli's to keep them at bay!

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

Good job the Aussie Army did intergrating the Hellfire to the Tiger dispite no help from the French (But sir we already have a useless french anti tank rocket for your under powered Aussie Tiger , we will not help .................but give us all the results when you have finished! [said with suitable french accent]).
Australia would have been better off with AH 1Z or Apache more power better compaterbility with US Army or Marines and Singapore. But no we buy a helo that can't hover with a full weapons and fuel load in Darwin in Summer, were they will be based!!! once again the Aussie military stuffs up a major purchase. at least the Spanish bought the Tiger with bigger engines.

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

Hats off to the Aussie engineers and the test pilots who pulled the triggers on this successful Hellfire test! The Aussie politicians who gave the Aussie Army the Tiger may have given them a lemon, but the Aussie Army is making lemonade out of the whole mess. I daresay an Aussie at the controls of a Tiger will give Singapore pilots at the controls of their Apaches a run for their money in war games.

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

BH9, I understand your sentiments but disagree with them. I think the Tiger will be the best armed recce aircraft in the world. It will certainly be more capable than the US army purchase of the modified Bell 207. Yes, it does have issues, lack of power being only one amongst a number of other issues. I don’t believe any of them are or will be war stoppers in the longer term. When the Regt stands up in, who knows…2010ish, I think the Tiger will be recognised as an outstanding capability. Neither the AH1-Z nor AH64 offered the solution that the Tiger offers. This is not a paid advertisement, I would be happy flying any of the above-mentioned acft, I just think that the Tiger offers the best capability for the army and the ADF.

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

I believe we are in agreement across the board about the Oz Tiger.

The U.S. Army choice of Bell for the Light Attack solution puts them solidly behind the Oz Tiger in nearly every important performance category. Had the U.S. acquired the 1/160th SOAR MELB aircraft it would have been a different story. It appears that with another Texan in the White House, it is Bell and the sixities all over again for the U.S. Bell will build the next light attack and utility helicopters just as it did in the early seventies with the OH-58A and the UH-1.

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

Blackhawk9, other than being underpowered (wouldn't they have discovered this in the selection process?) is it a good helicopter in other respects?

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

Do I think the Tiger is a good A/C ? Yes , But I still prefer the AH64D without the radar or the AH1Z, why ? As I said the Tiger is under powered and I believe short ranged for Australia , the Tiger will be based in Darwin were the average temp is between 30-35oC all year round and down at mount Bundy over 40oC, the Tiger cannot hover at gross weight in these temps and french engines don't like high ambiant temps I have worked on Makilas,Arriels, Turmos and other french engines in high temp areas and they drop there bundal when its too hot (over 35) while the PT6 ,CT7/T700 are affected but not anywere the same degree, The Spanish at least bought the uprated engine for there Tigers (15% more power), now if the Aussie Army put partical seperators on the Tiger taking approx 10% power off the A/C you have an underpowed dog!! and they will need the partical seperators operating in the NT, in the dust, the T700 in the S70/AH64/AH1 have the IPS system and they still have problems.
Interoperability and fleet comanality is the key , when the CH47 's were upgraded to D models all the modsfitted by the RAAF and anything differant to a US Army Chinook was removed, so we could work side by side with US forces, and after the Blackhawk purchase were the Aussie S70 is not the same as a UH60 causing interoperability problems, but have we learned ? NO we buy what is a very nice little gunship which is great for Europe which we will make work after a lot of hard work to intergrate systems that the French and Germans aren't interested in, we will only have 22 on the other side of the world from support (and most people in the Helo industry know how well the French support there products!!!) when any nation we will work with in this part of the world will have AH64's or AH1's.
A good a/c just the wrong choice for Australia.

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

Ok. Strange that the performance issue in hot weather wasnt thought about early on. I also thought one of the reasons it was selected, was due to the fact that when ferry tanks were fitted to the wings, it could fly from Melbourne to Darwin with only 1 refueling stop. Is this not the case?
Wasnt the Apache not selected due to cost, size, logistical support needed, and the army was not looking for an Anti-tank helicopter?

I really thought the Zulu Cobra would have been the logical choice.

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

I'm sure the CO of ARDU was wrapped to learn that one of his QTP's conducting helfire testing appeared on Prune with flying badge (name tag) and rank for all to see.

Big Mike-Not sure how you came across the images however you should consider such posts carefully before posting.

What will be next, the flight test data report complete with test data points and flight manual?

Think about it!!!

:*

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

Sounds like a modern day version of the Charlie model. You there Sas?

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

last third, if you read the link I put on the original post, it was from the PUBLIC media site for the defence forces. The link is now gone. Maybe they made a mistake putting it there in the first place. The story in the link also named the pilot doing the testing. Maybe you should bother reading things fully before you jump to conclusions.

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

Found it again.

Try this: http://www.defence.gov.au/media/down...n/20060113.cfm

The photos are available as downloads in high or low res.

Top Secret...?

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

Ahh see what you mean BM. I'll just make some room for my other foot.

You see what I mean though.

Lasty.

Re: Hellfire test with Aussie tiger
 

Thats ok. I wouldnt be putting it on here if it wasnt public knowledge. I find it hard to understand people who put certain photos on the various military sites, for instance showing the performance of personel body-armour. Im sure the bad guys look at the net too.

If you look closely at the flying photos of the Tiger, you can see 4 small cameras painted red, fitted to record the launch.