Statement from the Ministry of Defence

>With this latest order, the French Army has now contracted for 34 NH90 TTHs, with deliveries due to begin in 2011. Seen here is an Italian Army aircraft. (NHI photo)The Minister of Defence, Herv Morin, announced this morning before the Senates Foreign Affairs, Defence and Armed Forces committee that an order, valued at almost 600 million euros including VAT, was awarded in late December for a batch of 22 NH90 helicopters for the Army.>> This acquisition, made by defence procurement agency DGA (Dlgation gnrale pour larmement) is additional to an initial order for 12 helicopters awarded in 2007, and brings to 34 the number of NH90s on order for the Army. The contracting agency is NAHEMA, the NATOP Helicopter Management Agency, which is in charge of the program, and the industrial prime contractor is the NH Industries consortium (Eurocopter 62.5%, AgustaWestland 32% and Stork Fokker 5.5%).>> This order conforms to plans set out in the multiyear defence program law submitted to Parliament. The Minister of Defence noted that the army version of the NH90 (designated TTH, for tactical transport helicopterEd.) is the main component of the renewal of the airmobile transport capabilities, which ultimately make up for the current shortfall in intra-theater airmobility assets.>> The NH90 is a 10-tonne helicopter developed to renew current tactical transport and anti-submarine helicopters. The program was launched jointly by four countries, France, Germany, Netherlands and Italy; Belgium and Portugal have since joined the program.>> The NH90 has also been ordered by Finland, Norway, Sweden, Greece, the Sultanate of Oman, Australia, New Zealand and Spain. This latest French order brings the number of firm orders to 529 helicopters.