Francisco Ortiz de Zarate

With more than 35 years of experience in rotary-wing aviation and defense program’s management, Francisco Ortiz de Zárate is a former Colonel of the Spanish Army Aviation.

His operational career includes service as a helicopter pilot and commander in multinational missions in Iraq and the Balkans, providing him with a deep understanding of operational environments and user-driven capability requirements.

He subsequently transitioned into defense programme management, with a strong focus on the TIGER attack helicopter programme. In this role, he played a key part in the aircraft’s development, contributing to capability enhancements, qualification activities, and the evolution of the HAD variant.

From 2019 to 2022, he served as TIGER Programme Manager within the Rotary Wing Aerial Systems Command of the Armament Directorate of the Spanish Ministry of Defence. Since 2022, he has been Programme Manager of the TIGER Division at OCCAR‑EA, where he is responsible for in‑service support of the French, German, and Spanish fleets, and for leading the Mk III Mid‑Life Upgrade Programme for France and Spain. Francisco Ortiz de Zárate brings extensive experience in multinational cooperation and the successful delivery of complex defense programmes across their full lifecycle.