- Last week the first of 12 NH90 NFH naval helicopters and the first of 16 NH90 TTH over-land variant took to the air from Leonardo’s Venice Tessera facility and Airbus Helicopters’ Marignane site respectively.
- As well as acting as prime contractor for the overall programme, Leonardo is responsible for the final assembly and delivery of the 12 NH90 NFH helicopters from its Venice Tessera facility. The company is also providing a support and training services package for crews and maintenance technicians.
- Acceptance of the first batch of NH90s by the Qatar Emiri Air Force is scheduled to start before the end of 2021, with the last helicopter planned to be delivered in 2025.
- Managed through the NHIndustries joint venture, the NH90 is the largest military helicopter programme in Europe. Around 430 units are in service worldwide and the platform has logged over 270,000 flight hours in a wide range of weather and environmental conditions, over land and sea.
Rome, 23 December 2020 – The Qatar Emiri Air Force’s NH90 helicopter programme marked a
major milestone last week with first flights performed in Italy and France. The first NH90 NATO
frigate helicopter (NFH), assembled at Leonardo’s Venice Tessera facility, and the first tactical
troop transport (TTH) over-land aircraft, assembled at Airbus Helicopters’ Marignane site, took to
the air on 15th and 18th of December respectively. The flights allowed crews to evaluate general
handling and basic systems and the helicopters performed as expected.
Qatar’s NH90 programme includes 16 NH90 TTHs for land operations, 12 NH90 NFHs for naval
missions, a comprehensive support, maintenance & training services package and associated
infrastructure. The programme has the potential to be extended in the future with the addition of
6 + 6 units in a mixture of TTH and NFH variants. Leonardo is prime contractor for the overall
programme and is also responsible for the final assembly and delivery of the 12 NH90 NFH
helicopters from its Venice Tessera facility. The company is also supplying simulators, training
aids and an extensive maintenance support and training services package for aircrews and
maintenance technicians. Leonardo is providing, contributing to or supporting the integration of
various avionics and sensor payloads, including the Leonardo LEOSS-T HD electro-optical
system, HD Mission Video Recorder, Automatic Identification System, Tactical video link and Full
HD display for cabin consoles. Airbus Helicopters is responsible for carrying out the final assembly
of the 16 NH90 TTH aircraft. Acceptance of the first batch of NH90s by the Qatar Emiri Air Force
is scheduled to start before the end of 2021, with the last helicopter planned to be delivered in
2025.
Gian Piero Cutillo, Leonardo Helicopters MD, said “We’re extremely pleased to celebrate this
important achievement as we continue to work to deliver this programme. The NH90 is set to
provide the Qatar Ministry of Defence, an important and longstanding customer, with outstanding
operational capabilities suitable for a range of missions. Together with our industrial partners,
we’re committed to completing and introducing this essential defence and security enabler for our
customer.”