Australia Bids Farewell to ARH Tiger Helicopters

The Australian Army held a farewell ceremony for the ARH Tiger reconnaissance and attack helicopters ahead of their official retirement on September 30.

The ceremony was announced by the Australian Department of Defence.

The farewell ceremony took place during an open house at the 1st Aviation Regiment. Although the official date of the event has not been disclosed, according to Australian Aviation, it took place on September 24.

“The end of ARH Tiger operations is a significant milestone for the 1st Aviation Regiment. At the same time, it marks the beginning of a new phase: we are continuing our redeployment to Townsville and building up Australia’s attack helicopter capabilities based on the AH-64E Apache,” said Major General David Hafner, Commander of Army Aviation.

ARH Tiger

The ARH Tiger attack and reconnaissance helicopter is based on the French Eurocopter Tiger HAP, featuring a 30 mm Giat 30-781 nose-mounted cannon, a sight mounted on the roof of the cockpit, and the capability to mount underwing missile pods; however, it features enhanced anti-tank capabilities—Australia has integrated the American AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank missiles.

The country selected the Eurocopter Tiger to meet the requirements of the AIR 87 program, signing a firm contract on August 14, 2001, worth 1.1 billion Australian dollars (in 2001 prices) for the supply of helicopters and a Through-Life Support contract worth 397 million dollars (in 2001 prices).

Eurocopter’s subsidiary, Australian Aerospace, established a local manufacturing base for helicopter assembly and the production of components for the entire program. The first four helicopters were manufactured in Europe; the remaining 18 were assembled in Brisbane, beginning in April 2003.

In 2016, the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) conducted a comprehensive audit of the helicopter procurement program, which revealed numerous problems with both the delivery of the helicopters and their subsequent operation.

Given the challenges in maintaining the operational readiness of the helicopter fleet and higher-than-expected operating costs, the Australian government began looking for a replacement. In January 2021, then-Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds announced that, following a competitive bidding process for attack helicopters, the country would purchase American AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters.

In June 2021, the U.S. State Department approved the potential sale of AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to Australia. The first helicopters were delivered to the Australian Army in October 2025. A total of 29 helicopters are scheduled to be delivered by 2029 under a contract worth 3.5 billion U.S. dollars.

The first two AH-64E Apache helicopters of the Australian Defence Force. Photo credits: Australian Defence Force

The expected deal includes the Apache helicopters themselves, as well as 64 T700-GE-701D engines (58 installed and 6 spares), 29 AN/ASQ-170 optical sighting devices, night vision devices for pilots, and other systems. The delivery package also includes 85 AGM-114R Hellfire anti-tank missiles and 2,000 70 mm APKWS-GS guided rockets.

In late 2025, it was reported that Australia is evaluating Ukraine’s request for the transfer of Tiger ARH attack helicopters, which the army is phasing out as part of its transition to the AH-64E Apache. For more details, read our special report, “Eurocopter Tiger— Potential Boost to Ukrainian Air Defense or Problematic Novelty?.”