NH90

### Operators

Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Qatar, Spain, Sweden (current), Australia, Norway (former)

### Status

Active

The **NHIndustries NH90** is a European medium-sized, twin-engine, multirole military helicopter. It was developed in response to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) requirements for a battlefield helicopter which would also be capable of being operated in naval environments. The NH90 was developed and is manufactured by NHIndustries, a collaborative company owned by Airbus Helicopters (formally Eurocopter) and Leonardo (formerly AgustaWestland) and Fokker Aerostructures.  The first prototype conducted its maiden flight in December 1995; the type first entered operational service in 2007. As of June 2022, the NH90 logged 327,053 flight hours in the armed forces of thirteen countries. It is an advanced but high maintenance military helicopter employed by a dozen countries in two major versions. There is a Naval version that can land on ships and is used for sea rescue and submarine warfare, and an Army version that has been used for transporting cargo, people, medivac, and special operations.

The NH90 is the first production helicopter to feature entirely fly-by-wire flight controls. There are two main variants: the Tactical Transport Helicopter (TTH) for army use and the navalised NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH); each customer typically has various alterations and customizations made to their own NH90 fleets, such as different weapons, sensors, and cabin arrangements, to meet their own specific requirements. In addition, local construction of airframes was accommodated in many cases, giving participants in the program a chance to develop experience in construction. However, despite many advanced features, there have been a series of complaints about the overall experience, including delays in delivery, high maintenance, software issues, and durability, leading to the early retirement of some fleets. Nevertheless, it has served in increasing numbers and roles in the 2010s, taking on naval search and rescue, ASW, troop transport, special operations, various resupply and disaster relief, and medical evacuation.

Since its introduction into service, the NH90 has suffered several technical issues, which have delayed active deployment of the type by some operators. In 2022, Norway terminated the program and demanded a full refund, while Australia has decided to retire the type ahead of schedule, originally due to be in service until 2037. Belgium and Sweden are also looking into migrating into a new airframe. However, 12 other countries continue on with the product, while additional orders and improvements equate to ongoing and widespread use of aircraft despite some unresolved crash investigations. Improved maintenance regimes remain a focus for operators. It is an important next-generation helicopter for many NATO countries, and as such many countries have tried to make it a success; however, at a certain point, some have lost patience with it. While achieving success in many roles, issues with maintenance and reliability have led to service gaps in submarine reconnaissance for Norway, and a fatal crash during Talisman Sabre in the Pacific theater ended its troubled service in Australia. Some developments with the type include a special operations version, various naval warfare, search and rescue, medivac kits, and is entering naval service with Germany in the 2020s which previously operated the TTH version.