Originally involved in the development of the Mk3 standard of the Tiger attack helicopter, Germany eventually decided it was its turn, dropping France and Spain. This decision would have been motivated by the availability of about fifty devices in service within the Army [la composante terrestre de la Bundeswehr], which is way too low. In fact, according to then Defense Secretary Christine Lambrecht, only 9 were airworthy in April 2022…
The Bundeswehr has also been considering replacing its Tigers for some time. And the most frequently mentioned candidate is the American Boeing AH-64E Guardian. However, according to Business Insider Germany, which cites internal documents, the Federal Ministry of Defense has other intentions.
In fact, it would consider buying 82 H145M light helicopters for around €3 billion [dont 15 exemplaires sont déjà utilisés par le Kommando Spezialkräfte des forces spéciales allemandes] and equip 24 of them with an anti-tank capability.
Originally intended for the civilian market, since 2014 the H145 has been available in a military version with two new Turbomeca Arriel 2E engines with digital control [Fadec] and the ability to carry a cannon pod and laser-guided missiles [comme la FZ275 LGR de Thales] and anti-tank missiles like the Spike ER [Extended Range] by the Israeli Rafael, tests were carried out for this purpose in 2022.
On the occasion of the ILA Air Show in Berlin. Last year, Airbus Helicopters had proposed a new version of its H145M to the German Defense Ministry, this time with a five-blade rotor to bring its payload to almost two tons. In addition, the manufacturer had announced the formation of the “LUH SK – Team H145M” team, which includes Hensoldt Sensors, Hensoldt Avionics, Liebherr-Aerospace, Rohde & Schwarz, Safran Helicopter Engines and ZF Luftfahrttechnik.
“We have a solid product with very high availability, guaranteed short delivery times and we have organized weapon system support with many German companies. […] With the training of the team, we are offering the Bundeswehr complete equipment that can be procured quickly and efficiently,” argued Wolfgang Schoder, Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters Germany.
However, according to Business Insider Germany, the conversion of 24 H145M to combat helicopters would not be unanimous within the Bundeswehr, some see it as a “purely political decision that ignores operational requirements”. At least that would be the opinion of the military technical offices 61 [WTD 61 – Centre technique de la Bundeswehr pour les aéronefs et les équipements aéronautiques, ndlr]the latter pointing in particular to the lack of protection for the crews.