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29 Dec 08. The final qualification of the Tiger combat helicopter in its HAP Standard 1 and UHT Step 2/Step 3 versions paving the way for the aircraft’s future operational use. OCCAR, the European Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation managing the Tiger combat helicopter program, issued jointly with the DGA (Délégation Générale pour l’Armement) and the BWB (Bundesamt für Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung) the final qualification of the HAP (Hélicoptère d’Appui Protection) and UHT (Unterstützungshubschrauber Tiger) versions for France and Germany respectively. This qualification is the third and final step in the development of these two versions. The initial qualification to the PBL001 standard was issued in 2004, allowing the helicopters to be used for training missions at the Franco-German Tiger Training Academy. The second step was the delivery of the helicopters – qualified to the PBL002 standard – with all of their operational functionalities. The final qualification step fixed the solutions finally adopted for the remaining open points and added extra functionalities, such as a naval capacity and the integration of a data link for the HAP Tiger, as well as the integration of new encrypted radio systems and data links for the UHT version. This final step therefore paves the way for the Tiger’s operational entry into service and its use in external operations.