G. Humphrey, TIGER - A STUDY IN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIVE HELICOPTER ENGINEERING, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part G, Journal of aerospace engineering, 209(G1), 1995, pp. 3-13
A number of European procurement programmes of defence equipment are u
ndertaken as international collaborative ventures. It might be imagine
d that the inherent management complexities of such undertakings would
create overpowering temptation to settle for technically unimaginativ
e solutions, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Eurocopt
er Tiger helicopter, which is under development for the French and Ger
man governments, and is also being offered to the British Ministry of
Defence, is a good example of a 'high tech' programme. The author revi
ews the management arrangements and provides a few examples of the adv
anced engineering that have been incorporated in this new helicopter.