Australia ends Tiger attack helicopter operations as Apache fleet grows

Australia's Department of Defence says the army will soon stop flying the Airbus Helicopters Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopter from its base in Darwin, ending the fleet's service.

The department called the end of Tiger flying a notable point for the 1st Aviation Regiment. The unit is moving to Townsville and building its attack helicopter capability around the Boeing AH-64E Apache. Major General David Hafner, commander of Army Aviation, said personnel had managed a substantial transition from the Tiger to the Apache while keeping up training and operational output.

The retirement has been expected since Canberra announced in 2021 that it would buy 29 AH-64Es. Six have been delivered so far. The army flew 22 Tigers when the fleet was at its largest.

Hafner said in March 2025 that Tiger operations would finish no later than the end of 2027 or early 2028.

According to the Department of Defence, the Tiger joined Australian service in 2004, bringing together roles previously split between two other helicopters: the unarmed Bell OH-58 Kiowa, used for reconnaissance, and the armed Bell UH-1 Iroquois, known in Australian service as the Bushranger. The department said the Tiger combined intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, electronic warfare and strike duties on one platform. It said the retirement fits the type's planned 20-year service life, and that a changing threat environment is better met by newer aircraft such as the AH-64E.