Tiger gets aboard Australian C-17 transport

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By Craig Hoyle

The Royal Australian Air Force has conducted a trial loading of an Australian Army Eurocopter Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopter aboard one of its Boeing C-17 strategic transports.

Performed at Amberley air base in Queensland earlier this month, the trial saw one aircraft winched aboard a C-17 and secured, requiring the removal of three of the Tiger's main rotor blades and the barrel for its 30mm cannon.

All images © Australian Department of Defence

The air force's Air Movements Training and Development Unit from Richmond air base in New South Wales was involved in the activity, which would support any future decision to deploy the Tiger on an international operation.

Australia's Army Aviation has now received 11 of its 22 Tigers, according to Flight's HeliCAS database, with the aircraft involved in the recent trials - A38-003 - having been received in March 2006.

The RAAF operates a fleet of four C-17s, assigned to its 36 Sqn at Amberley.