Defeat for Airbus: Norway announces helicopter order

NH-90 helicopter in maneuvers

The Bundeswehr also complained about problems with reliability.

(Photo: obs)

Berlin. Defeat for the armaments division of Airbus: Norway withdraws an order for 14 military helicopters of the type NH 90. Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram announced that the eight machines that had been delivered ready for use would be returned. The Norwegian government is also demanding the equivalent of around half a billion euros from the French manufacturer NH Industries, in which Airbus has a 62.5 percent stake.

“Unfortunately, we have come to the conclusion that no matter how many hours our technicians work and how many parts we order, the NH 90 will never be able to meet the needs of the Norwegian Armed Forces,” said Gram.

The NH 90 is also flown by the German Armed Forces, it has already been introduced to the Army and a special maritime version called the “Sea Lion” is being introduced to the Navy. However, there are many problems with the machines.

The Bundeswehr is also dissatisfied with the German-French attack helicopter “Tiger” manufactured by Airbus, whose operational readiness leaves a lot to be desired, as Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) had just complained in the Bundestag.

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The security policy spokeswoman for the Greens parliamentary group, Sara Nanni, also welcomed the memorandum now issued by the Norwegian government: “Everyone in Europe can no longer afford the junk of parts of the industry simply for security reasons,” she wrote on Twitter. “I hope the clear edge of the Norwegians catches on.”

NH Industries: Termination of contract not sustainable

The manufacturer, on the other hand, was “extremely disappointed” by the government’s decision in Oslo: NH Industries said it was not given an opportunity to discuss the latest proposals to improve the operational readiness of the NH 90 or the specific requirements of the Norwegian armed forces. The termination of the contract is not legally tenable. In addition to Airbus, the Dutch manufacturer Fokker and the Italian company Leonardo Helicopters are also involved in the consortium.

According to the Norwegian armed forces, 21 years ago they ordered 14 NH-90 helicopters for coastguard and anti-submarine operations. So far, however, the army has only received eight ready-to-use units. The fleet is currently required to complete 3,900 flight hours a year, but the average in recent years has been around 700 hours, the armed forces said. The maintenance is very expensive.

The problems with the NH 90 like the “Tiger” can also be read in the latest material readiness report, which the Ministry of Defense and the inspectors of the services publish twice a year. The “Sea Lion” is attested to only nineteen percent operational readiness.

The reason for the high failure rates for the helicopters of the NH 90 and “Tiger” types is “the very time-consuming maintenance and inspection systems as well as the ongoing conversion measures to standardize the construction backlogs,” says the report.

Combat helicopter “Tiger” of the Bundeswehr

No interest in expensive modernization.

(Photo: Imago)

While France wants to comprehensively modernize the jointly developed “Tiger” helicopters, Germany has apparently said goodbye to it because of the unreliability of the model. In any case, the “Tiger” modernization does not appear in the economic plan for the 100 billion euro special fund for the Bundeswehr.

With the NH 90, the Norwegians are not the first to vent their dissatisfaction. The Netherlands and France had complained about corrosion problems with the maritime variants. Australia has announced that it will no longer operate its NH 90 and will instead purchase “Blackhawk” helicopters from the US manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Norway could also look to the United States when looking for an alternative model.

However, Airbus is involved in the procurement of the new heavy transport helicopter CH-47 F “Chinook” from the US manufacturer Boeing. Boeing had committed to working with German industry on post-delivery modifications and installations, helicopter maintenance, supply chain services, training and logistical support, and subsystem servicing and maintenance.

With agency material.

More: “100 billion euros will not be enough” – Airbus armaments chief promotes European air defense system

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