Australia grounds its Tigers and bets on AH-64E Apache
In late September 2026 the Australian Army closed flying operations with the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter Tiger in Darwin, ending a service career that began in 2004 and formally… 
In late September 2026 the Australian Army closed flying operations with the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter Tiger in Darwin, ending a service career that began in 2004 and formally handing the role to the Boeing AH-64E Apache. The farewell was not a sudden cancellation. It was the visible end of a replacement programme, LAND 4503, that the government had already locked in years earlier, and it came as the first Australian Apache crews were already firing weapons on home soil. Six AH-64E airframes had arrived by May 2026. The full order is 29 aircraft, with deliveries scheduled to finish by the end of 2029. The 1st Aviation Regiment, the formation that flew the Tiger…
