- Navy
- Materiel
- Helicopters
NH90
The NH90 is the result of the idea in the 1980s of developing a common NATO helicopter. Several countries are involved in the project. There are 2 versions of the NH90: 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
4 companies from 4 countries developed the NH90: Agusta (Italy), Eurocopter (France), Eurocopter Deutschland (Germany) and Stork Fokker (Netherlands). In 2001, Portgual joined the project, followed by Belgium in 2006. 2 versions were developed: a tactical transport helicopter (TTH) and a maritime ship-based helicopter (NFH).
The NH90 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 NH90's larger cabin means that the NH90 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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