- Navy
- Materiel
- Helicopters
NH-90
The NH-90 is the result of the idea in the 1980s of developing a common NATO helicopter. Several countries are involved in the project. There are two versions of the NH-90: a tactical transport helicopter (TTH) and a maritime ship-based helicopter (NFH).
Rotor diameter 16.3 m
Hull dimensions (LxH) 19.56m x 5.3 m
Weight 10,000 kg
Flight range 800 km
Cruise speed 215 km/h
Maximum speed 260 km/h
Engines 2 x RTM-322
Armament 2 torpedoes, 1 x 7.62 mm machine gun
Sensors HELRAS sonar;
ISAR radar; FLIR (Forward Looking Infra-Red)
Crew 3
Four companies from 4 countries developed the NH-90: Agusta (Italy), Eurocopter (France), Eurocopter Deutschland (Germany) and Stork Fokker (Netherlands). In 2001, Portgual joined the project, followed by Belgium in 2006. Two versions were developed: a tactical transport helicopter (TTH) and a maritime ship-based helicopter (NFH).
The NH-90 that the Netherlands is getting is known as the NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH). It is substantially bigger and approximately twice as heavy as the current Lynx helicopter. The NH-90's larger cabin means that the NH-90 can carry 14 passengers or 6 medical patients. That is substantially more than the Lynx can carry. The navy also uses its helicopters for transport or deploying the Special Support Unit or boarding teams, which makes the greater capacity a significant improvement.
In addition to the larger cabin, the NHF has an integrated mission system that connects the various sensors. That makes it possible to deploy the helicopter in a wide range of mission types.
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