The first NHIndustries NH90 Sea Tiger – the latest version of the NH90 NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) – made its maiden flight at Airbus Helicopters’ site in Donauwörth, Germany, on 30 November 2023, Airbus Helicopters reported the same day.
Airbus Helicopters is now entering a qualification phase that will focus on flight testing the helicopter and new systems to be installed on it. Deliveries are scheduled to begin at the end of 2025.
Germany’s Bundeswehr ordered 31 NH90 Sea Tiger multi-role frigate helicopters (MRFHs) for the German Navy’s shipborne operations in 2020. These will replace the German Navy’s ageing Mk88A Sea Lynx fleet, which entered into service in 1981.
The Bundeswehr already operates 18 NH90 Sea Lion naval transport helicopters, which were delivered on schedule between 2019 and 2023.
The NH90 Sea Tiger has been specifically designed to meet the needs of the German Navy for a latest-generation anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter that can also perform reconnaissance and transport missions. As well as a dipping sonar, sonobuoys, and weapon (torpedoes and missiles), the aircraft has a new electro-optical system and improved electronic support measures.
According to Airbus Helicopters, which is the largest partner in the NHIndustries joint venture, 135 naval NH90 helicopters have already been delivered to six nations and have completed over 90,000 flight hours in military, search-and-rescue and humanitarian operations.
The NH90 features a fully composite airframe and a quadruplex fly-by-wire flight control system for reduced pilot workload and enhanced flight handling characteristics. The aircraft is available in two main variants: the NFH for naval operations and the TTH (Tactical Transport Helicopter) for land-based operations.
As Airbus Helicopters stated in its press release, the NH90 is the largest military helicopter programme in Europe. “As of today, over 500 NH90 helicopters, a mixture of both variants, have been delivered worldwide, carrying out missions in a wide range of weather and environmental conditions, over land and sea, and have amassed in excess of 370,000 flight hours,” the company noted.
However, NH90s have suffered a number of technical issues, which have delayed their entry into service for some customers and led others to ultimately reject the type. Norway, for example, terminated its NH90 programme in June 2022, demanding a full refund, while Australia is retiring its NH90 fleet early in favour of Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawks.
NHIndustries is jointly owned by Airbus Helicopters (62.5%), Leonardo (32%) and Fokker Aerostructures (5.5%).
