The German Bundeswehr has ordered 31 NH90 NFH helicopters, known as sea tiger, for the naval operations of the German navy. Nathalie Tarnaud-Laude, President of NH90 Helicopter Industries (NHI) and Giorgio Gomma, Director General of NATO Helicopter Management Agency (NAHEMA), on behalf of the Federal Office of Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) they signed the contract on November 26th. The helicopters will replace the German navy fleet consisting of sea lynx Mk88A, entered service in 1981. The Bundeswehr has already ordered 18 NH90 naval transport helicopters Sea Lion, seven of which have already been delivered.
"With the Sea Lion and the Sea Tiger, the German navy will have state-of-the-art, high-performance helicopters and will benefit from the advantages of a harmonized fleet"said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. "We look forward to working with our partners to deliver the unique naval capabilities the NH2025 NFH has to offer as early as 90.", he added.
The widespread use of the NH90 TTH by the German army and the NH90 NFH by the German navy allows for significant synergies in terms of logistics and training. Since the introduction of the Sea Lion, Navy flight crews and technical personnel have already undergone basic NH90 training alongside NH90 Army crews.
Let it be sea tiger the Sea Lion are derivatives of the NH90 NFH. The sea tiger it is based on the configuration Sea Lion, enhanced by mission capabilities and equipment to perform their specific tasks. In addition to reconnaissance and transport, the missions of the sea tiger intended for naval operations include the engagement of targets above and below the surface. For this purpose, the sea tiger it is, among other things, equipped with an active underwater sonar, passive sonar buoys and weapons (torpedoes and missiles).
100 NH90 marine helicopters have already been delivered to six nations and have completed over 70.000 flight hours in search and rescue, humanitarian and military missions. There are currently 430 NH90 helicopters in service around the world which have accumulated over 270.000 flight hours.
