France proceeds alone with enhanced NH90
Full-scale mock-up of the NH90 TFRA Standard 2 helicopter at SOFINS 2021. (Photo: Jean-Marc Tanguy)
SOF variant of NH90 offers a number of improvements but France must still convince other operators to adopt it.
Only the French Army has decided to acquire a highly capable version of the NH90 helicopter for its special forces, as decided by defence minister Florence Parly in November 2020 during a meeting devoted to the programme.
French SOF will operate 10 NH90 TTH troop transport helicopters from 2025 with new digital technologies, under a production contract from the NATO Helicopter Management Agency.
The deal with NHIndustries and its partner companies (Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo and Fokker) is worth an undisclosed sum.
The 10 NH90 TTHs had previously been ordered by French procurement agency DGA but they will now be produced
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Air Warfare
-
![M-345 officially enters service as trainer for Italian Air Force]()
M-345 officially enters service as trainer for Italian Air Force
The Leonardo M-345 High-Efficiency Trainer (HET) basic/advanced trainer is similar to the M-346, which is the second part of the Italian Air Force’s training system, but is a substantially smaller and less powerful aircraft.
-
![Belgium’s F-35A order progresses at it awaits first jet delivery by late 2025]()
Belgium’s F-35A order progresses at it awaits first jet delivery by late 2025
The first aircraft delivery timeline confirmation comes as Belgium weighs up an additional F-3A buy from Lockheed Martin.
-
![Trump’s drone directives win US industry support but questions remain over ability to challenge Chinese market dominance]()
Trump’s drone directives win US industry support but questions remain over ability to challenge Chinese market dominance
New presidential directives for UAV production are intended to remove bureaucratic barriers and support suppliers.
-
![Enhancing education: How CAE is embracing new technology to boost military training]()
Enhancing education: How CAE is embracing new technology to boost military training
In Conversation... Shephard's Gerrard Cowan talks to CAE's Marc-Olivier Sabourin about how the training and simulation industry can help militaries achieve essential levels of readiness by leveraging new technology, innovative procurement methods and a truly collaborative approach.
