After Norway, Sweden to Axe Its NH90 Fleet.

[Fuzuli NL]

Sweden to axe NH90 fleet under revised defence equipment plan​

By Dominic Perry1 November 2022

Sweden plans to join near neighbour Norway in ditching the NH Industries NH90 helicopter under new defence equipment and spending plans.
Revealed on 1 November, the proposals laid out by General Micael Byden, head of the Swedish military, will see the country retire the NH90s operated by its armed forces for battlefield support and naval missions, replacing them respectively with additional Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks and a yet to be determined type.

Source: NH Industries
Retirement of NH90s will be completed by 2035 under proposals
Stockholm earlier in the year had commissioned a review into the performance of its NH90 fleet, particularly relating to upgrades required to bolster the type’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities. Availability issues with the troop transport variant have also been a concern.
On the back of that process, Byden’s plans call for it to “decommission” the HKP-14Es and -14Fs – Sweden’s designations for the NH90 troop transport and maritime helicopters – over the period from 2024 to 2030. The 18-strong fleet comprises nine of each version.


Under the proposals, Stockholm will begin the procurement of a new maritime helicopter in the 2024-2030 period, while also buying additional Black Hawks for the battlefield support role.
“The aim is to meet operational requirements earlier and increase availability of the helicopter fleet to be able to support the army, special forces and navy needs,” the plans indicate.
Retirement of the NH90 fleet will be completed by 2035 at the latest, in parallel with the acquisition of new Black Hawks, the document says.

Source: NH Industries
Sweden will replace troop transport-roled NH90s with more UH-60s
In addition, Sweden will begin the retirement of its 20-strong fleet of Leonardo Helicopters AW109M light-twins in the 2024-2030 period, with that process to conclude by 2035.
By 2035, its helicopter fleet will comprise nine for naval operations and 27 for battlefield support. At present, it operates 15 UH-60s that were acquired due to delays with the NH90 programme.

Stockholm’s decision – which has yet to be formally approved by the government – is the latest blow for the NH90 in the region. Earlier this year Norway said it was cancelling its contract with NH Industries and returning the helicopters it had already received due to delivery delays and a capability shortfall.
Australia has also moved to replace its NH90 fleet with Black Hawks due to availability issues.
NH Industries (NHI) – a three-way consortium comprising Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo Helicopters and GKN/Fokker – says it ”acknowledges” the Swedish study and the rationalisation of its helicopter inventory ”including the phasing out of their current NH90 fleet”.
It points to the customisation of the helicopters for Sweden’s requirements – including increased cabin height and a Saab-developed tactical mission system for the naval version. In addition, NHI stresses that availability rates for the country’s NH90s have been “above the average for similar helicopter types” albeit the size of the available fleet has been “temporarily reduced” in recent years due to a retrofit and upgrade programme running since 2017 but due to conclude by end-2023.

”The expected return into service of all of the Swedish NH90s at that time will boost fleet availability. NHI has also proposed to the Swedish armed forces over the last few months additional measures that could significantly improve availability and reduce operating costs with limited efforts,” says the consortium.
This story has been updated with comments from NH Industries.

Dominic PerryDominic Perry is deputy editor of Flight International but also contributes extensively to flightglobal.com. Although specialising in the coverage of the helicopter industry, he has written on most topics in aerospace – be they commercial, defence or business aviation. In addition, there has been an increasing focus on the decarbonisation of the industry and zero-emission flight initiatives.

Sweden to axe NH90 fleet under revised defence equipment plan

Sweden plans to join near neighbour Norway in ditching the NH Industries NH90 helicopter under new defence equipment and spending plans. Revealed on 1 November, the proposals laid out by General Micael Byden, head of the Swedish military, will see the country retire the NH90s operated by its...

www.flightglobal.com

 

[Fuzuli NL]

Norway ends contract for NH90 helicopters, wants full refund​

By Jan M. Olsen, The Associated Press

Friday, Jun 10

A Royal Netherlands Navy NH90 lands on Spanish frigate ESPS Cristóbal Colón in the Atlantic Ocean during a 2018 NATO exercise. (Lt. j.g. Joaquin Garat Loureiro/U.S. Navy)
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — NATO-member Norway has terminated its 2-decade-old contract with a French manufacturer for 14 maritime helicopters, citing delays, errors and time-consuming maintenance, the defense minister said Friday, calling the move “a serious decision.”
The Norwegian government will return the NH90 helicopters it has received so far and expects a full refund of the nearly 5 billion kroner (U.S. $525 million) it paid, according to Defence Minister Bjørn Arild Gram.
“Regrettably, we have reached the conclusion that no matter how many hours our technicians work, and how many parts we order, it will never make the NH90 capable of meeting the requirements of the Norwegian Armed Forces,” Arild Gram said.
The helicopter was developed in the mid-1990s by NHIndustries, a partnership between European companies Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo Helicopters and Fokker Technologies based in Aix-en-Provence, France. The aircraft is used by numerous countries.
Norway ordered 14 helicopters for coast guard and anti-submarine warfare duties in 2001, the Norwegian Armed Forces said. They were originally slated for delivery by the end of 2008, but only eight were delivered ready to operate.
“The fleet is currently required to provide 3,900 flight hours annually, but in recent years it has averaged only about 700 hours,” the Armed Forces said.
NHIndustries in a statement said it was “extremely disappointed by the decision taken by the Norwegian Ministry of Defense and refutes the allegations being made against the NH90 as well as against the company.”
It added that it had not been given an opportunity to discuss its latest proposals and that it considers the Norwegian termination of the contract as “legally groundless.”
The Norwegian Defence Ministry said it will shortly begin the process of identifying an alternative maritime helicopter.
The NH90 is twin-engine helicopter that was developed to meet NATO’s requirements for a modern, medium-sized, multirole military helicopter for both land and maritime operations.
A comprehensive review of the Norway’s maritime helicopter capabilities requested by the Defence Ministry in February concluded that even with significant additional financial investments, the performance and availability of the NH90 would not meet the country’s requirements.

Norway ends contract for NH90 helicopters, wants full refund

NHIndustries has called the Norwegian termination of the contract “legally groundless.”

www.defensenews.com

 

[Fuzuli NL]

2 dead, 1 injured as helicopter crashes in central Norway​

Police say a helicopter on a leisure flight has crashed in central Norway, killing both passengers and severely injuring the pilot
ByThe Associated Press
November 1, 2022, 3:10 PM

HELSINKI -- A helicopter on a leisure flight crashed in central Norway Tuesday killing both passengers and severely injuring the pilot, authorities said.
Norwegian police identified the dead passengers as a Norwegian man and a woman in their 60s. The pilot was found alive at the crash site just outside the town of Verdal, and was rushed to a hospital in the city of Trondheim.
There was also a dog in the helicopter which survived the crash and was taken to a vet, Norwegian public broadcaster NRK said.
Norwegian media reported that the helicopter crashed into a field outside a densely built-up area in thick fog after several unsuccessful attempts to land.
Forensic technicians from the police were working in cooperation with the Norwegian Air Accident Investigation Board to establish the cause of the crash.
The type and model of the helicopter were not made public.
Norway’s VG newspaper reported that it belonged to Norwegian helicopter service provider Midtnorsk Helikopterservice AS., which offers flights to locals and tourists in central Norway's scenic mountainous landscape.

2 dead, 1 injured as helicopter crashes in central Norway

Police say a helicopter on a leisure flight has crashed in central Norway, killing both passengers and severely injuring the pilot

abcnews.go.com

 

[Fuzuli NL]

Turns out the NH90 is just a good-looking helicopter with suicidal tendencies like the Ka-52.

 

[Madokafc]

Blackhawk family would gain the Immortal title, being produced continuously for over half Century just like the Huey family (including bell212,412 and so on), C130 family, Ch47 Chinook, F-16, F-15 and so on. So much from the American muscle