Page 29 - Australian Defence Magazine Feb 2020

combat operations in Libya and the Central African Republic, as well as to Djibouti on the Horn of Africa, for operational test and evaluation of the HAD version.
OPÉRATION HARMATTAN & THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Harmattan was the French codename for military operations in Libya in 2011 and two Tigre HAPs were embarked aboard the French Navy’s Mistral-class amphibi- ous assault ship FNS Tonnerre for almost five months.
The Tigres adapted easily to the maritime environment and deck operations were sim- plified by the fact that its main rotor diam- eter was such that it could use the ship’s elevators. The ALAT helicopters flew mis- sions alongside British Army Apache AH.1 helicopters, with considerable success.
“It was during the summer in Libya, so we experienced high temperatures, but the Tigre was designed to take off with a full payload,” LTCOL Brice remembered. “We had to calculate the endurance because the ship was not very close to the beach and we had a long transit over the sea. My Tigre pilots did the calculations and reported a payload of 450 30mm cannon shells, 68mm rockets, two (Mistral) missiles and three hours of playtime.”
In late 2013, the French Army was also deployed to the Central African Republic on Opération Sangaris - peacekeeping op- erations which included Tigre airstrikes against armed bandits.
OPÉRATION BARKHANNE
The current operation is in Mali in Sub- Sharan Africa, where the French Army has been operating the Tigre since early 2013. Initial operations were conducted with the HAP version, but all deploy- ments are now based on the HAD and the three regiments (including the Spe- cial Forces unit) each contribute aircraft and personnel.
The helicopters have been involved in heavy firefights, supporting troops on the ground under attack by Islamist Macina Liberation Front (or Katibat) rebels. Two Tigers and five maintenance personnel deploy from their main operating base at Gao into the desert at any given time and operate remotely for up to two weeks, using only equipment carried in by the maintenance team aboard the initial transport helicopter airlift and what can be stowed aboard the Tiger.
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