The Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, grounded all its "Tiger" helicopters on Wednesday, due to technical faults found in their machinery. As a result, flight operations involving all 53 aircraft were temporarily suspended.

"Certain bolts that are installed in the helicopter could have a flaw," said the Army Press and Information Center. Before new flights the machines must be "thoroughly checked and bolts replaced if necessary."

"Security is the top priority for the Bundeswehr," the statement added.

Watch video 42:36 Share An army on the ropes — What will happen to the Bundeswehr? Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3GYWM An army on the ropes — What will happen to the Bundeswehr?

Bundeswehr's enduring equipment woes

The incident is the latest in a series of embarrassments for the Bundeswehr and the German government concerning equipment, especially as regards government-issue aircraft. Chancellor Angela Merkel, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz have all been delayed by faulty airplanes while carrying out official duties in the past year.

Bundeswehr officials have also long complained that much of their equipment is outdated and broken, as increasing defense spending becomes more and more unpopular politically. In July of this year, two pilots were killed in a military helicopter crash near the city of Hanover.

Just a week earlier, one pilot was killed when two Eurofighter military jets collided in northeastern Germany.

Expert panel to probe safety

The Air Safety Committee will conduct an assessment on Friday and is then expected to discuss the next course of action.

The bolt in question is also installed in the transport helicopter NH90 and in the training helicopter EC135 of the Bundeswehr. But since these bolts are not in any safety-relevant points, their flight operations can continue.

According to a report in the German magazine Der Spiegel, the defective component in the case of the "Tiger" is a connecting bolt within the rotor control. The manufacturer Eurocopter had pointed out that some of these titanium components could be made brittle by hydrogen. They could therefore break during the flight, which according to experts could cause a crash.

Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Faulty tanks and grounded helicopters Frustrated soldiers and a defense system struggling to repair its way into a fully functioning military. And a new defense minister who will have to regain confidence from army representatives.

Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Defective helicopters Ageing helicopters have proved a big hurdle for the German military. The Bundeswehr has grounded all its 53 Tiger helicopters, after engineers said technical faults needed attention. Defense services were also forced to recall 22 Sea Lynx anti-submarine helicopters in 2014, confirming newspaper reports of malfunction.

Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Manufacturing fault The Eurofighter is the German military's most modern fighter jet. As a result of a manufacturing error, only four of the 128 planes were in action in 2018. A pilot was killed in June 2019 when two Eurofighters collided in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, prompting fresh calls for further restrictions on the plane's use.

Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Let's replace it... as soon as we make a decision Tornado fighters have been flying for over 40 years. CDU plans to replace the ageing planes were thrown into question by the center-left SPD in February 2019. But some officials claim flying the Tornado after 2030 could cost Germany around €8 billion ($9 billion) in repair costs.

Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Not making any tracks New Puma tanks for the German military came into use in 2018. Only 27 of the 71 Pumas were immediately ready for deployment — which prompted a fresh backlash against then Defense Secretary Ursula von der Leyen.

Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Glitches at sea New F125 frigates — but they are't ready yet. German plans to replace the old frigates stalled in 2018, due to there not being enough spare parts to make them seaworthy. Officials also said Germany would have to soon stop signing up to NATO and UN missions in the same year — the country just did not have enough ships spare.

Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Headache for AKK? She has not been in the job long, but Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has inherited a huge problem. Old equipment being grounded is now a regular and pressing occurrence. Former Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen signed a deal to develop a "Future Combat Air System" in June — which is scheduled to replace Germany's air force by 2040. Author: Sven Pöhle / db



jsi,es, jns /kl (dpa, AFP)

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