Eurocopter NH 90

Interview with Dr Clive Schley, VP & NAHEMA Programme Coordination Manager, Eurocopter

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In February, a “secret report” containing strong criticism of the NH90 transport helicopter, allegedly uncovered by the German daily BILD, created quite a stir in the civil and defence media landscape. The German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) report, which BILD reportedly obtained from internal sources, is said to criticise the performance of the helicopter and include a long list of flaws and shortcomings which have been identified since the first trials of the new helicopter. The criticism is said to even question the general fitness of the NH90 for military operations. On the occasion of a visit to Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH, defpro.com specifically asked for Eurocopter’s response to this report and received comprehensive feedback by Dr Clive Schley, Vice President & NAHEMA Programme Coordination Manager, which we would like to share with the readers.

defpro.com: Dr Schley, you and your colleagues have spent several years in this programme. What is your reaction when you learn of an internal report by the Bundeswehr from the daily press which allegedly questions the capabilities of your product? Have you received similar feedback from your customer?

Schley: This “secret report” which was mentioned by the daily press was not new to us. We are regularly in touch with our customer regarding the status of NH90 programme. The report referred to by the daily press does not reflect the actual status and, respectively, the actual contractual background. The NH90s which are currently deployed with the German Armed Forces for pilot and ground crew training correspond to the agreed pre-series configuration of the Initial Operational Capability (IOC). The Final Operational Capability (FOC) for the German Army and Air Force will receive final certification in 2010 and are scheduled for delivery beginning in 2011.

The IOC configuration has undergone various operational trials during the past months in order to identify possible weak spots in the pre-series status. It is absolutely normal in the case of such complex weapon systems that the findings of these operational trials are incorporated into the final development phase.

defpro.com: A supposed point of criticism is the reduced ground clearance of the NH90 which, reportedly, limits the capability of the helicopter to land on level landing spaces. Furthermore, the objection was made that the passenger seats can only bear a maximum weight of 110kg and that the cabin is too small. The latter issue allegedly forces soldiers to place their equipment, unsecured, onto the floor. The measures and the layout of the NH90 have certainly been agreed upon and known before. How do you explain this late discovery of related problems?

Schley: The specifications for the ground clearance as well as for the passenger seats have been jointly defined and agreed upon by the customer and industry in an international contract. For instance, the seats for the soldiers have been approved for a weight of 110kg; however, this does not represent the maximum load of the seats. The industry offers solutions for the designated and advanced requirements which, for the most part, are not unusual regarding the long-standing certification procedures for aircraft.

defpro.com: According to the report, there is not enough space to install a machine gun for the door gunner. Therefore, the helicopter reportedly has to be protected by additional forces during high-intensity conflicts. Has the NH90 been designed to include a machine gun for self-protection and does it actually limit the transport capacity when installed? What has been the customer’s demand in this regard?

Schley: Generally, compared to the predecessor, the NH90 represents a significant improvement in terms of transport capacity and flexibility.

With regard to the installation of a machine gun in the side doors, we complied with explicit customer requirements. Within the framework of the upgrade of the helicopter for MedEvac / CasEvac missions, Eurocopter will examine, along with the authorities, the loading through the side doors. This will include loading procedures when a machine gun is installed. First results are promising. For instance, the loading of stretchers through the side doors with a mounted machine gun has already been successfully tested. Trials of a MedEvac demonstrator, to be jointly carried out with the customer, are scheduled for the second quarter of 2010.

defpro.com: Finally, the NH90 features a winch which, allegedly, is too weak to permit several soldiers to rope down in rapid succession as, for instance, is done by Special Forces. Which load can the winch carry and can it be used for these purposes?

Schley: The winch has been certified for a contractually specified 270kg. The roping of personnel with the winch is based on this weight and has already been successfully carried out by other customers. In Germany, the use of the winch has been limited to a maximum weight of 237kg by the customer. Eurocopter is in touch with the German government agency in order to also provide full usability of the winch in Germany. Further roping techniques, such as fast roping, are generally possible with the NH90 and have already been put into practice by some customers. However, the associated equipment kits are not included in the order package for the German helicopters.

defpro.com: In the case of the A400M transport aircraft, the multi-national nature of the programme has proven to be a stumbling block as the industry had to consider the interests of the individual nations in the process of development and production (including the distribution of the production throughout Europe). How do you generally judge the principle of multi-national procurement programmes and how do you judge this factor in the case of the NH90?

Schley: The NH90 has been jointly defined and ordered with the NHI (NATO Helicopter Industries, consisting of Eurocopter, Eurocopter Deutschland, AgustaWestland and Stork Fokker) by Germany, France, the Netherlands and Italy. The NH90 is designed as a multi-purpose helicopter for a variety of missions and will be deployed with the respective services of the Armed Forces - the Army, Air Force and Navy – in specific configurations. It will replace twelve weapon systems currently in service. In Germany the NH90 will, in the future, replace the currently used helicopter types of its class. This certainly holds some challenges which, in the helicopter market, have not been defined before to such an extent.

And still, the NH90 programme is the largest and most successful helicopter programme that has ever been carried out in Europe. Meanwhile, 529 NH90 helicopters have been ordered by 14 nations. The NH90 is one of the most state-of-the-art military helicopters in the world. Special emphasis has been placed on an optimal man-machine interface and a glass cockpit, featuring state-of-the-art avionics which significantly reduce the workload of the pilots and the crew. The NH90 is the first serial helicopter that is controlled by a fly-by-wire system, will consist of carbon composites to a large extent and will significantly impede radar detection due to stealth technology.

Compared to the A400M, 40 NH90’s have already been produced and pre-series trial helicopters have been delivered to five nations (Germany, Italy, Australia, Finland, Sweden).

defpro.com: What are the next milestones in the NH90 programme and where will the helicopter first have the opportunity to prove its capabilities?

Schley: Currently, the NH90 is deployed with Germany, Sweden, Finland, Australia and Italy for pilot and ground crew training. As mentioned, 40 NH90’s have already been delivered and an additional 50 helicopters are currently in their international production phase. The next near-term milestones are the handing over of the NFH naval version, with one helicopter to be delivered to the Dutch Navy and one to the French Army during the first quarter of 2010.

defpro.com: Thank you very much, Dr Schley.

Today, the first Dutch NH90 NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) has been transferred to the Dutch Defence Materiel Organisation (Defensie Materieel Organisatie, DMO).

The hand-over ceremony took place in Italy at the site of the manufacturer AgustaWestland.

After extensive trials since December last year, DMO Director Lex Hendrichs signed the certificate which confirmed the transfer.

The helicopter is scheduled to arrive in the Netherlands in mid-May.

It is equipped with the latest technology.

For instance, the helicopter features fly-by-wire controls and the cockpit is equipped with large screens instead of analogue instruments such as in older aircraft.

The Netherlands will receive a total of 20 NFH's: 12 in the maritime configuration as presented today and 8 in a transport configuration.

ILA: Finland details experience with new NH90s

The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] is one of the most successful examples of European co-operation in the rotorcraft sector, with the four-nation NH Industries consortium having so far secured production orders for more than 500 examples.
Fourteen nations have now ordered the NH90 in its tactical transport helicopter (TTH) and NATO frigate helicopter (NFH) variants, and around half of these countries now have examples in service.
Flightglobal in early May visited one of the two European customers with operational NH90s beyond launch nations France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
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Now equipped with seven aircraft from its eventual fleet of 20 TTH-configured NH90s, the Finnish army's Utti Helicopter Battalion has been flying the type since May 2008 from Utti air base near Kouvola. Five of the aircraft were delivered to the customer between March and December that year.

Finland's new aircraft are now being used to support the training needs of its special operations forces, and in particular those of the Utti Jaeger Regiment. They are replacing its [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] transports, the last two of which will be retired within the next few months after an operational history that spans more than 36,000 flight hours with the type since 1973.
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The army expects to receive a further five NH90s this year, five more in 2011 and a final three during 2012. All of these will be assembled at the Halli facilities of national aerospace company Patria.
Helsinki's armed forces received their first helicopters in 1961, and have operated the assets from Utti since the following year, logging more than 100,000 flight hours. But a major change happened in 1997, when the air force's rotorcraft were transferred to army control, and the Utti Jaeger Regiment was established.
This draws together helicopter assets, the army's special forces personnel and related command and control infrastructure, and will prepare ground units able to conduct wartime duties by 2016. They will also be trained to support nation defence and international crisis management tasks, says commanding officer Col Kim Mattsson.
Previously a poor relation to the air force's fast jet assets, and starved of investment in favour of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] F-18C/D fighters, the helicopter force now found itself receiving fresh attention. In 2001, a contract was signed to introduce the new-generation NH90.
"There has been a huge change from 10 years ago," says helicopter battalion commanding officer Lt Col Anssi Vuolle. "There were probably around 40 guys and a few helicopters back then. We now have 150-plus personnel, and within two years we will have 27 aircraft."
These will also include seven [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] MD500D/Es, which are used to conduct pilot training activities with the battalion's 3rd Company, also from Utti. Finland has amassed more than 35,000 flight hours with the model since 1975, with its current aircraft having been delivered between 1983 and 2001. Modified by Saab, the four newest examples can be used to perform training with night vision goggles.
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A new chapter in the service's NH90 operations began in January, when the 10t-class type was declared ready to support the provision of 24h search and rescue services. Aircraft are available to take off within 30min during office hours and in less than 2h at other times. Five rescues had been performed with the aircraft by early May by the battalion's 1 Company, and two lives saved.
"SAR is part of our national defence, and it also gives us public support for a very expensive procurement," Vuolle comments.
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Finland's Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322-powered aircraft were handed over first in the initial operational capability configuration, and from August 2009 in the IOC+ standard.
Featuring updated software, engine intake air particle separators and improved diagnostics equipment, the unit's current two IOC+ aircraft are "99% good for anything", Vuolle says. "Not everything is ready, but we are working on it," he adds.
NH90s are now flown with no operating restrictions, and can be operated at up to 175kt (320km/h) - some 40kt faster than the Mi-8 or MD500. However, they are typically operated at lower speeds to reduce fuel consumption. The aircraft's anti-icing equipment has also been shown to work well under Finnish operating conditions.
Finland expects to start receiving full operational capability aircraft from next year, with its entire fleet to have been brought to the standard by late 2013. This update will include adding an [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Hellas obstacle warning system and Tetra radios to support nation defence duties.
Under current plans, the NH90 fleet will reach full operational readiness in 2013-14. "We're right on schedule," says Vuolle. However, he hopes that the schedule could be accelerated, perhaps to 2012, to provide support for NATO-led forces in Afghanistan.
"There is a shortage of SAR helicopters in [the country's] Regional Command (North)," he notes, with cover now provided by German army Sikorsky CH-53s.
Modifications required before Finland's aircraft could undertake such a commitment would include the addition of door guns - already to occur with the full operational capability enhancement - and ballistic protection. A programme is already in place, Vuolle says.
The helicopter battalion's NH90s have now flown more than 1,400h in 1,300 sorties, with 600h of this total having been added since last August. Highlights have included participating in special forces exercises in Denmark in 2009 and Norway earlier this year alongside Swedish and US personnel. "They were benchmarking exercises for us, and we had good results," Vuolle says.
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Pilot training activities are supported by the use of simulators in Germany and two part-task trainers at Utti. "On the helicopter training side, our closest partners at the moment are Germany and the Nordic countries," says Mattsson. Sweden also operates the NH90, while Norway has the type on order.
The unit has around 23 trained pilots and 38 mechanics, but at full strength expects to sustain 30 aircrews.
The battalion's new building at Utti has five hangars to store its new transports, with its MD500s to soon be moved to a refurbished hangar to make room for fresh arrivals. Three NH90s are typically on the flight line at any one time, with others sometimes used to support maintenance training.
"The main problem at the moment is that there are 529 NH90s ordered, and five production lines," says Vuolle. "So it's hard to go in to the production line and get spare parts." The army has encountered shortages in some areas, he says, but notes: "It's getting better all the time, and the delays are getting shorter."
NHI says it had delivered 46 NH90s by earlier this year, with the global fleet having amassed 8,500 flight hours. It has within the last few weeks delivered its first NFH aircraft in a so-called "meaningful operational capability" to the Netherlands (below), and will hand over similar assets to France, Italy and Norway before the end of the year.
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Oman is also expected later this year to receive its first of 20 TTH examples, in what will be the first delivery of the type to a Middle Eastern operator.
[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] holds a 62.5% stake in NHI, along with AgustaWestland (32%) and Stork [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Aerospace (5.5%).

Le ministère français de la Défense a décidé de baptiser Caïman le nouvel hélicoptère NH90 devant équiper l'armée de Terre et l'aéronautique navale.

Après de longues discussions, ce nom a finalement été retenu parmi une liste comprenant diverses propositions, dont
apparemment celle de Narval.

Le programme prévoit notamment la mise en service, à compter de la fin 2011, de 27 machines pour la Marine nationale.

Les Caïman remplaceront dans un premier temps les Super Frelon puis, ensuite, les Lynx, afin d'assurer des missions de lutte anti-sous-marine et antinavire, de transport opérationnel et de secours
en mer.

Les nouveaux hélicoptères français, produits sur le site Eurocopter de Marignane, équiperont aussi l'armée de Terre, qui compte pour le moment 34 appareils en commande.

Nous vous proposons aujourd'hui une superbe série de photos des premiers hélicoptères NH90 de l'aéronautique navale. Baptisés « Caïman Marine », les deux premiers appareils ont été livrés cette année.

En tout, 27 Caïman Marine ont été commandés pour remplacer les Super Frelon et Lynx de la flotte française.

14 de ces appareils seront livrés en version combat.

Dédiés à la lutte anti-sous-marine et antinavire, ils mettront en oeuvre un sonar trempé FLASH, des bouées acoustiques et deux torpilles MU90.

Ils seront également aptes à embarquer le futur missile antinavire léger (ANL).

Les 13 autres machines seront, quant à elles, dévolues aux missions de transport et de sauvetage en mer.
A l'issue de la période d'expérimentation, une première flottille de NH90 doit être mise en service fin 2011 au sein de la Marine nationale.

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.........The other three first flights involved military helicopters - a fire support and destruction (HAD) Tiger for France;
an NH90 tactical transport helicopter (TTH) also for France's armed forces and an NH90 TTH for the Spanish armed forces.........

Germany plans to slash the number of military aircraft it will buy from [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], the European aerospace company, as it shrinks its armed forces by a fifth as [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

In a confidential document, seen by the Financial Times, the defence minister Thomas de Maiziere says he wants to cut Germany’s orders for the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet, the A400M transporter, and the Tiger attack and NH-90 transport helicopters.

The move looks set to trigger tense negotiations with EADS and its partners such as Italian-British AgustaWestland and the UK’s [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], which holds a 33 per cent stake in the Eurofighter.

..... to lead to tough discussions with a raft of mostly European governments, who helped develop the aircraft and secured so-called “work-share” for domestic industry in proportion to the size of their final order.

Without the willingness of industry and governments – including France, the UK, Italy and Spain – to amend contracts long signed and sealed, Germany would be on the hook for penalty payments running into billions of euros.

...... Berlin now wants to buy 140 instead of 177 Eurofighters, 40 instead of 53 A400Ms, 80 instead of 122 NH-90s, and only 40 Tigers, half the original order.
..............
EADS and the government declined to comment .........

The UK started [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]three years ago, clinching a deal in spring 2009 which allowed it to sell on part of its Typhoon contingent to Saudi Arabia.

A similar plan is being considered for the aircraft Germany has contracted to buy but now considers surplus, although finding buyers is far from certain, according to industry experts.

India is considering the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. However, it is interested in jets with air-to-ground attack capabilities and not the early air-to-air Eurofighters Germany is expected to want to ditch.

...The Norwegian NH90s will be based at Bardufoss Air Station where they
will start their operational career after initial training.

Norway is one of the nations selecting the NFH variant together with The Netherlands, France, Italy and Belgium. A total of 111 NH90 NFH naval helicopters have been ordered by these nations.

The NH90 NFH variant is primarily designed for autonomous and joint Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti Surface Warfare (ASuW) missions.

The comprehensive mission equipment packages allow a wide range of additional missions to be performed including Search and Rescue (SAR), maritime patrol, vertical replenishment, troop transport, medical evacuation and amphibious support roles.

The helicopter is designed for day and night operations in adverse weather conditions from the decks of ships.

Because of its optimal weight and dimensions, the deck-lock system, the deck traversing system and the automatic blade and tail folding system, it can operate from small frigates even in high sea states.

The NH90 is the most successful European helicopter programme ever.

Firm orders have been placed by 14 countries including France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Greece, Spain and Belgium in Europe, as well as Australia, New Zealand and Oman overseas.

The NH90, developed in the TTH utility transport and NFH naval versions, proves the ideal solution to meet requirements of customers worldwide for a wide range of military roles.

The NH90 programme is managed by NAHEMA (NATO Helicopter Management Agency) representing France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands and Portugal, and by the NHIndustries industrial consortium comprising AgustaWestland
(32%), Eurocopter (62.5%), Fokker (5.5%).