Tiger Gunship image - Rise of the Reds mod for C&C: Generals Zero Hour

The Eurocopter Tiger was first conceived as a joint venture between France and West Germany in the early 1980s. However, when the new helicopter started to see action during NATO operations in Afghanistan, a series of problems became apparent: The German UHT variant was designed as a missile-armed support helicopter for use against Soviet era tank armies and had to make do with a static 12.7mm gunpod rather than a proper autocannon turret, making it unsuitable for counter-insurgency operations. In addition, the wiring in these early models was flawed, forcing the Tigers to remain on the ground for most of the time. Whilst the French HAP variant fared better in combat and was used as the basis for additional export versions, the German Tigers would not receive the necessary upgrades for years due to a general neglect of military matters by the government and thus delivered an abysmal performance during the GLA's incursion into Central Europe in 2028. After the civilian governments of Europe had collapsed in the wake of the attack, the Bundeswehr assumed temporary control of Germany and proceeded to develop a new version to iron out these critical flaws: Commonly dubbed the 'Koenigstiger' by the Germans, the updated model was armed with two chin-mounted, high-capacity rocket pods linked to the pilot's HUD that could be aimed in the same way as a turret, allowing the Tiger to lay down a deadly accurate barrage of high-explosive/armour-piercing rockets in addition to taking on flying targets with Starstreak anti-air missiles. Further adding to the gunship's versatility, it is also able to deploy the Icarus baloon mine to lock down down the airspace above an area of operations. The new Tiger showed its superiority during Operation Nemesis and was soon adopted by both the ECA and, somewhat ironically, the French Army as well.