NH90 programme hits milestone
The Spanish Army’s aviation branch has taken delivery of a new NH90 helicopter, marking the 300th NH90 production aircraft to be delivered by NH Industries under the programme.
The NH90 was originally launched as a joint programme between France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. Spain joined the programme in 2007.
The NH90 was designed to meet the diverse operational requirements of the partner nations, ranging from battlefield missions such as transport, special operations, medical evacuation and combat search and rescue; to naval missions such as search and rescue, anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare.
The NH90 composite airframe is produced in two configurations: Tactical Transport Helicopter (TTH) for army missions and NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) for naval missions.
Vincent Dubrule, president of NHI, said: ‘Delivering the 300th helicopter to the Spanish customer is a key milestone for the NH90 programme. We plan to advance further by unveiling innovative growth options in the future, and our customers can be assured of our commitment to provide outstanding support services to our front-line operators.’
To date, 515 NH90 helicopters have been ordered by military operators in 13 countries, with the global in-service fleet logging over 120,000 operational flight hours.
More from Defence Helicopter
-
Royal Navy helicopter crews transfer control of UAS in European first
Using technology supplied by QinetiQ, two Royal Navy helicopter crews successfully exchanged control of a UAS while in flight.
-
Leonardo wins Canadian helicopter upgrade programme
The upgrade contract will ensure that the Candian helicopters are compliant with future technological requirements.
-
Guatemala receives Bell Subaru helicopters
The latest version of the Bell 412 helicopter has improved performance and weight capacity and will support Guatemala in various missions.
-
Algeria expresses interest in AW249 while AW139 deal remains in limbo
Leonardo and Algeria hope to seal the AW139 deal in 2023 while Italy and the North African country further strengthen defence ties.
-
Nigeria to receive new attack helicopters
The Nigerian Air Force is to receive more than 50 attack air assets to strengthen its ability to fight insecurity within its borders.
-
Royal Navy upgrades Merlin helicopters
The Royal Navy's amphibious helicopters have received an improved defensive aid suit and Merlin pilots can now train in a synthetic training environment.