Eurocopter, LE BOURGET: NHIndustries and its consortium partners, Eurocopter, AgustaWestland and Stork Fokker, handed over the first NH90 to the Swedish Air Force on June 20 at 11:00 in its Static Display. Accepting the aircraft on behalf of the Swedish Ministry of Defence was Brigadier General Arne Heden, Director of Air and Space of the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration.
Sweden is the launch customer of the High Cabin Version (HCV) of the NH90 which features an increased usable cabin height by 24 centimeters, from 1.58 meters in the standard version to 1.82 meters. This variant allows operators and passengers to stand upright in the cabin. Sweden had signed the contract for 25 NH90 in September 2001, covering 18 firm orders for 13 TTT / SAR helicopters and five ASW variants, plus seven options.
The TTT (Tactical Troop Transport) / SAR (Search and Rescue) and ASW (anti-submarine warfare) variants are derived from the NAHEMA TTH (Tactical Transport Helicopter) version of the NH90, and are equipped with a complete new Tactical Mission System (TMS) developed by SAAB in cooperation with NHIndustries. The increased cabin height is particularly important in SAR missions.
At the hand-over ceremony, Lutz Bertling, President and CEO of Eurocopter, declared: “I am very pleased to be handing over this aircraft to Sweden today. Cooperation with the Swedish authorities and Swedish industry is excellent, and I would like to extend my thanks to all parties involved. We owe Sweden the new, high-cabin version of the NH90 which offers additional headroom while maintaining maximum commonality with the standard aircraft.”
The NH90 is a latest-technology, twin-engine helicopter in the medium-size class. It has been designed from the outset as a multi-role weapons system. The tactical transport (TTH) and naval (NFH) variants of the helicopter share a common basic helicopter in a modular design. Dedicated, specialized mission equipment packages allow for maximum flexibility in operations. Special emphasis has been placed on features such as safety, reliability, availability, maintainability, testability and supportability. The diamond shape of the all-composite, corrosion-free airframe combines optimal aerodynamics with low detectability.
Optimized man-machine interface significantly reduces pilot and crew workload. The NH90's superior handling qualities are enhanced by a fly-by-wire flight control system, making it the first production helicopter in the world to feature this advanced technology. The NH90 is qualified for day-and-night, all-weather operations.
The NH90 program is managed by NAHEMO (NATO Helicopter Management Organisation) representing France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal and Belgium, and by the industrial consortium NHIndustries consisting of Eurocopter (62.5%), AgustaWestland (32%) and Stork Fokker (5.5%).
Established in 1992, the Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group is a Division of EADS, a world leader in aerospace, defence and related services. The Eurocopter Group employs approx. 14,000 people. In 2006, Eurocopter confirmed its position as the world’s No. 1 helicopter manufacturer with a turnover of 3.8 billion euros, orders for 615 new helicopters, and a 52% percent market share in the civil and parapublic sectors.
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