Australia's Tiger Attack Helicopters Don't Work Very Well. Why Would Ukraine Want Them?

The finicky gunships could hunt drones.

An Australian Tiger. Via Wikimedia Commons

Australia may give Ukraine 22 Airbus Tiger attack helicopters. The only problem is: the two-person gunships don’t work very well. It’s not for no reason the Australian army flew the Tigers for just 12 years before announcing their eventual disposal—in favor of American-made Boeing AH-64Es—back in 2016. The last of the Aussie gunships is scheduled to retire in 2028.

The Tigers are unreliable. Australian crews reported software glitches, shortages of spare parts and smoke-filled cockpits. The Australians soured on all European-made helicopters as they also abandoned 45 Airbus NH-90 transport helicopters after just 15 years of use—opting to bury them instead of donating them to Ukraine.

Worse, the Aussie Tigers have become theoretically available—pending an unlikely political decision in favor of a transfer—at a time when all attack helicopters, even the ones that work, are losing relevance. Tiny explosive drones costing $500 apiece can perform many of the tasks a multi-million-dollar gunship can perform—and at lower risk to the crew.