Airbus delivered the first of 18 NH90 helicopter in an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) configuration ordered by the Swedish Defence Material Administration (Försvarets Materielverk, FMV), the company said Thursday.
The ASW version of the NH90 is customized with an underwater sonar system, tactical radar, and a high cabin.
“In terms of versatility and customizability, the Swedish NH90 ASW demonstrates the benefits of an integrated, highly powerful, fly-by-wire helicopter platform. Specially tailored for its maritime missions and the operative environment in the Baltic Sea, this helicopter is best-suited for the customer’s requirements,” Wolfgang Schoder, head of light and governmental programs at Airbus Helicopters, said in a statement.
Of the 18 helicopters ordered by Sweden, 13 are to be equipped for a search-and-rescue (SAR) mission and five in the ASW configuration.
FMV and the NH90 manufacturer, NHIndustries, also signed a contract to modify four previously delivered NH90s from a SAR to ASW configuration. This agreement will end with Sweden’s NH90 mix consisting of nine ASW and nine SAR rotorcraft.
Airbus highlighted before delivery, the first NH90 was “thoroughly tested by the Swedish acceptance team in Donauwörth and over water in Marignane.”
Schoder also noted 13 countries operate hundreds of NH90s, resulting in almost 100,000 operational flying hours for the aircraft.
The NH90 program is managed by the NHIndustries consortium, which is owned by AgustaWestland (32 percent), Airbus Helicopters (62.5 percent), and Fokker (5.5 percent). AgustaWestland is a division of Finmeccanica.