FLUG REVUE August 2006: NH90 deliveries near

August 2006

FIRST DELIVERIES OF NH90 IMMINENT

By Karl Schwarz

On 19 June, the Australian government in Canberra approved funds totalling two billion Australian dollars (Euro1.16 billion) to supplement last year's order for twelve multi-role (MRH) NH90s by a further 34 machines, which will replace the Australian armed forces' Black Hawks and Sea Kings from 2010. This is yet another success for NH Industries in the hotly contested global market – and, moreover, it comes at a time when not a single NH90 has yet been delivered to a customer.

NH90

That milestone is now finally in sight. However, over two years' delays have made the German army aviation forces cautious. Even if the German transport variant was formally approved on 3 April by the responsible NATO agency, NAHEMA, Brigadier Richard Bolz, Army Aviation General and commander of the Army Aviation Weapons School in Bückeburg, is working on the assumption that the first NH90's to be used for training will not arrive before the big flying days of 9/10 September. These light transport helicopters (LTHs) still have “some tactical operational restrictions” and do not yet have an approved anti-icing system nor are yet fitted with an obstacle warning system, but this will not prevent the start of flying operations with them. Eight flight instructors have already undergone induction training at the hands of industry for this state-of-the-art helicopter.

Altogether Bückeburg is to receive a dozen NH90's initially, until conversion of the first operational unit, Transport Helicopter Regiment 10 in Fassberg, gets under way in 2008. 50 helicopters are currently on order for the German Army, which has a total requirement of 80 machines. On top of this, the Luftwaffe is to get 42 NH90's and the German Navy 30 MH90's. According to the German Ministry of Defence, a procurement contract for the naval version is expected to be concluded later this year, with a view to first deliveries in 2010. On the other hand, Parliament is not expected to debate the planned upgrade of part of the Luftwaffe combat, search and rescue (CSAR) fleet until 2007. The procurement of eight mission kits is under discussion, with “recent developments in this area [having led] to the need for a review of the configuration”. We can therefore assume that operational readiness will not be attained before 2012.

The CSAR variant will join the other 18 NH90 variants which NH Industries, as a joint venture company in which Eurocopter holds a 62.5 percent stake, AgustaWestland 32 percent and Stork Fokker 5.5 percent, has to get certified. To the annoyance of its customers, this has taken a lot longer than planned, since under the terms of the contract the first LTHs, for example, should have been delivered to the German Army in April 2004. In this connection the French armaments director, François Lureau (DGA), told a Parliamentary committee in Paris that an investigation had brought to light “weaknesses in the running of the programme on the part of Eurocopter” and also “difficulties in the relations between the industrial partners, especially between Eurocopter and AgustaWestland”. On top of this, management agency NAHEMA had to accept some of the blame, “which raises the question of a possible transfer of responsibility for the programme to OCCAR...”. The costs of the delays are likely to be primarily borne by industry, since according to the Ministry of Defence in Berlin “the interests of the customer... are being asserted”.

Even if the NH90 joins the long succession of major military programmes in Europe that have been stricken with problems, it will still – once it is fully operational – constitute a technology leap over several generations of helicopters. For example, compared with the UH-1D operated by the German Army, its performance and operational capability under poor weather conditions and at night are incomparably better. Only with a modern type such as the NH90 is there any hope of realising the ambitious plans for air mobile / air mechanised operations and evacuation missions.

Naturally the helicopter has also grown in complexity as the requirements it is expected to satisfy have risen. One typical example is the pilot's flying helmet, which will be used to control the FLIR camera in the nose. The thermal imagery generated will be passed to the visor, serving as a useful supplement to the night vision goggles on night-time missions, even if initially it takes some getting used to. It goes without saying that data such as flight parameters, threat indications etc. will also be fed to the visor. In addition to the FLIR, many NH90's will also have a weather radar under the nose and, in the case of the army aviation forces, the Hellas obstacle warning system as well.

The cockpit is dominated, as is customary today, by five large colour displays and data entry panels on the central console. The NH90 will be the first series helicopter in the world to be controlled by a fly-by-wire system, enabling it to be manoeuvred in a way only normally possible with lighter helicopters. For self-protection, the NH90 is equipped with radar and laser warning sensors plus missile-approach warners.

The helicopter airframe with its characteristic diamond-shaped cross section (which is supposed to give it a smaller radar signature) is constructed almost entirely from composite materials. Large sliding doors along the sides allow up to 20 soldiers to rapidly embark and disembark. If required, a rear loading ramp can also be ordered. A version with higher cabin (1.82m instead of 1.58m) has been specially developed for Sweden.

The NH90 is powered by two shaft turbines of type RTM322-01/9 (Rolls-Royce, MTU, Turbomeca), which in an emergency can deliver up to 2,158kW. As an alternative, Italy has chosen the T700-T6E1 from General Electric, which is being built under licence by Avio. The rotor is equipped with elastomeric bearings and has four blades. The tail rotor has a bearingless design.

All in all, the NH90 is a compact, high-tech machine that has already notched up considerable export success, despite unit prices which France estimated back in 2001 as ranging from Euro 19 million for the tactical transport helicopter (TTH) to Euro 30 million for the NATO frigate helicopter (NFH). After Portugal joined the original four partner countries in 2001, a significant breakthrough was achieved the same year in the form of an order from the north European countries of Finland, Norway and Sweden. 50 helicopters are undergoing final assembly at Patria in Jämsä, where the first NH90 took to the air on 17 July 2005. Saab of Sweden has won a work package for the production of 200 cockpit sections.

One especially important customer is Australia, which decided to purchase the multi-role helicopter (MRH90) version in August 2004 and is now expanding its fleet. Eurocopter subsidiary Australian Aerospace in Brisbane is carrying out final assembly for most of the Australian helicopters. New Zealand copied the Australian decision in March 2005 and is currently negotiating over the purchase of six to ten helicopters. Meanwhile, back in Europe Spain has come on board, having announced a requirement for 45 NH90's.

With 357 firm orders and a further 190 options or letters of intent, the NH90 is a shining success at the moment, even if such figures of course pale into insignificance next to the over 1200 UH-60M Black Hawks that Sikorsky alone is to build for the US Army. Further export opportunities are in sight, for example Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. On top of this, it is not unrealistic to assume that another 300 helicopters could be sold outside the four partner nations, especially when one bears in bind that, with first deliveries still to take place, the NH90 is only just at the start of a long career.

From FLUG REVUE 8/2006

Last updated 14 July 2006

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