NHIndustries Signs NH90 Support Contract with NAHEMA

(14 June 2022, 11:32 +07)  NHIndustries has signed a NH90 support contract with the NATO agency NAHEMA, acting as the contracting authority on behalf of the Direction générale de l'armement (French Armament General Directorate) and the Direction de la maintenance aéronautique (French Aeronautics Support) for the French Ministry of the Armed Forces and the BAAINBww for the German Ministry of Defence.

The NH90 Operational Support (NOS) contract, which will be performance based, will see both nations delegating a major part of their logistics and maintenance activity to NHIndustries, enabling them to focus on their operations.

The contract is designed to improve the availability rates of the NH90 naval (NFH) and tactical (TTH) helicopters, and has been set up in such a way as to allow additional nations to join at any time.

The NH90 has been developed in two versions – tactical transport (TTH) and NATO frigate helicopter (NFH). Picture: Patrick Heinz

“This agreement, made up of a harmonized set of services that cover the operational needs of several helicopter variants, marks a new phase of the dynamic engagement between NHIndustries and NAHEMA,” said Admiral Giorgio Gomma, General Manager of NAHEMA. “We are confident that this new approach will improve the effectiveness of NH90 fleets and could soon be expanded to other nations that operate these helicopters.”

Through the contract, NHIndustries will take full responsibility for ensuring the continuous flow of spare parts to France and Germany through a flight hour-based service. It will manage the inventories of both nations, while also allocating resources to ensure that scheduled inspections and maintenance run seamlessly.

Additionally, the contract includes a variety of catalogue services that can be activated as required by the entire community or by individual nations, allowing maximum flexibility.

The agreement covers five years of support with two optional extensions of five years each, for a total duration of 15 years. It will serve up to 100 NH90s in France and up to 131 NH90s in Germany.

“NHIndustries is fully committed to ensuring customer satisfaction, and the contents of this agreement have been carefully crafted in order to provide the French and German armed forces with the right set of services for improving NH90 operability, affordability and serviceability. This new support contract will also strengthen our current relationship with our partner NAHEMA,” said Nathalie Tarnaud-Laude, President of NHIndustries. “The contract includes support of the customers’ continuing airworthiness management organisations, which ensures the continued airworthiness of aircraft and their parts, and establishes an improved approach for supply chain management for spare parts and component MRO.”

The NH90 military helicopter is a modern, multi-role rotorcraft designed to meet the most stringent NATO standards. Developed in two versions – tactical transport (TTH) and NATO frigate helicopter (NFH) – the NH90 contains a unique, fully integrated mission system for operations in the most demanding conditions over land and sea, day and night.

The NH90 has been ordered by fourteen nations: Australia, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Spain and Sweden.

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