2024 Piccie: the first German Bundeswehr H145M LKH unveiled, replacement for the Tiger attack helicopter....

[Stratofreighter]

....see
https://aerobuzz.de/militar/airbus-heli ... undeswehr/
/
https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopter ... 95.article
for the actual picture.

First delivery this year

Following the visit, Airbus Helicopters published a first photo showing an H145M LKH for the German army.

The only thing missing from the helicopter are the main rotor blades.
Part of the registration number (XX+54) is also visible.

[GIPS]

75+54

[Stratofreighter]

More piccies...
https://x.com/AirbusHeli/status/1839645075363508334

It's lift-off time - the first of 62 #H145M
ordered by the German Armed Forces recently completed its maiden flight at our Donauwörth site in Germany!

At the same time, the first German pilots began training on their brand new helicopters.

2:35 p.m. · 27 sep. 2024

[Alpha Kilo One]

Sorry, may sound silly..
But really replacement for Tiger?
Is it really in the same league?
No armour? No cannon? And so on?

[BlackBird]

Taken from the Scramble news bulletin...

According to Airbus, the helicopters can be equipped with axial ballistic and guided weapons for this role. Airbus introduced LKH with a machine gun pod, rapid-fire cannon, guided and unguided missiles and an electro-optical targeting system. With a state-of-the-art self-protection system, the helicopters can be converted into a version for special operations that also includes a rappelling device, as Airbus writes.

Sounds like enough armour for a Light Combat Helicopter (Deutsch: Leichter Kampfhubschrauber, LKH).

[Levente]

"Airbus introduced LKH with a machine gun pod, rapid-fire cannon, guided and unguided missiles and an electro-optical targeting system."

This is the HForce weapon system, plus the Safran FLIR optic under the nose.

[SquAdmin]

Sorry, may sound silly..
But really replacement for Tiger?
Is it really in the same league?
No armour? No cannon? And so on?

Heeresflieger wanted AH-64's, but politicians decided that H145's should be sufficient. This takes Germany back to the Bo 105 days I guess.
Nonetheless, considering the maintenance issues with the Tigers, just about any replacement that can actually take off and land will be an improvement.