The PAH-2 Tiger helicopter was developed by the Eurocopter consortium, which includes the German company MBB and the French Aerospatiale. According to the agreement adopted in 1987 by representatives of Germany and France, two variants of a combat helicopter were developed - an anti-tank helicopter, the same for both countries and received the name PAH-2 in Germany, and HAC in France, and an escort and fire support helicopter only for France, named HAP. The first flight of the prototype PAH-2 helicopter took place on April 27, 1991.
A feature of the PAH-2 combat helicopter is: the ability to perform combat missions around the clock and in difficult meteorological conditions, high maneuverability, combat survivability and operational adaptability, a qualitatively new level of automation of on-board systems and weapons control, as well as the widespread use of composite materials.
All versions of the PAH-2 helicopter are based on a single basic structure (fuselage, engines, hydraulic, fuel and electrical systems, etc.), as well as on the modular design of special equipment. The basic design is based on a single-rotor helicopter with a tail rotor, two gas turbine engines and a tricycle landing gear with a tail wheel.
The PAH-2 helicopter has an airplane-type fuselage made of approximately 80% of composite materials, which not only reduces the weight of the helicopter structure, but also helps to reduce the life cycle cost and labor intensity of operation. In front of the fuselage are located in tandem cockpits of the pilot and the pilot-operator. The cockpit is in front, and the cockpit is at the rear and slightly higher. The main controls are duplicated and located in both cockpits, so that, if necessary, the pilot-operator can take control of the helicopter. The design of the fuselage as a whole and the chassis are made taking into account the requirements for safe damage to structures and systems. To ensure the safety of the crew in the event of an emergency landing, the lower part of the fuselage has honeycomb-filled panels capable of absorbing kinetic energy. This design provides a safe landing for the crew with a vertical speed of up to 10, 5 m / s. In the event of an emergency landing, a significant portion of the energy is also absorbed by the pilot's seats and landing gear.
The PAH-2 helicopter has a wing with a span of 4.5 m, the ends of which are lowered down. On the wing, there are four suspension assemblies for weapons or additional fuel tanks. The power plant consists of two turboshaft gas turbine engines MTR 390 with a maximum takeoff power of 958 kW. each one. The power plant is controlled by an electronic-digital system that ensures optimal operation of the engines in all modes. To reduce the visibility of the helicopter in the infrared range, the engine nozzles are equipped with devices for mixing exhaust gases with air. In the event of a failure of one of the engines, the continuation of the flight is possible by putting the other engine into emergency mode. The total capacity of the fuel tanks is 1360 liters. Fuel tanks are equipped with an air-gas mixture explosion prevention system in the over-fuel space.
The PAH-2 helicopter is equipped with a four-bladed main and three-bladed tail rotor. The propeller blades are made of composite materials. All versions of the helicopter are equipped with reconnaissance and sighting equipment, navigation equipment and weapons control systems, ensuring their combat use day and night, in simple and difficult weather conditions. The aiming system includes: a television camera, an infrared night vision system, a laser rangefinder-target designator and helmet-mounted sights. Aiming and navigation information can be displayed on helmet-mounted displays, on the windshield and color multifunctional liquid crystal displays in the cockpit of the crew members.
The armament of anti-tank helicopters should consist of 8 Hot-2 ATGMs or 8 new Trigat ATGMs and 4 Mistral or Stinger air-to-air missiles. The escort and fire support helicopters are armed with a built-in 30-mm cannon on a turret, launchers for 68mm unguided rockets and 4 Mistral missiles.
