German Navy Takes Delivery of First NH90 Sea Tiger Shipborne Helicopter

The German Navy received its first Sea Tiger shipborne helicopter on Tuesday, formally launching the transition to a new generation of maritime combat aviation.

The NH90 Sea Tiger will be used for anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions.

Germany plans to field 31 Sea Tiger helicopters, all to be based at Naval Air Wing 5 in Nordholz, Lower Saxony. The aircraft is designed to operate from frigates, supporting missions above and below the waterline.

Compared with the NH90 Sea Lion transport helicopters already in German Navy service, the Sea Tiger is equipped with additional mission systems, including a dipping sonar, sonobuoys, improved Electronic Support Measures, electro-optical sensors, and maritime surveillance cameras for submarine detection and surface awareness. It is also armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles. These systems have been tested and qualified during test campaigns in the Mediterranean Sea and North Sea.

Vice Admiral Deertz said the helicopter’s operational impact will expand further with planned upgrades. “With the introduction of Link 22 in the coming years, the MRFH, in its final planned upgrade phase from 2029 onwards, will be able to make a lasting contribution to the fleet's dynamic surface and underwater imaging capabilities. This will allow it to demonstrate its full potential both nationally and within the alliance,” he said.

The Sea Tiger will work alongside the Navy’s P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to improve maritime situational awareness, particularly as submarine activity increases and concerns grow over threats to critical maritime infrastructure.

The helicopters will gradually replace the German Navy’s ageing Mk88A Sea Lynx fleet, which entered service in 1981. The German Navy already operates 18 NH90 Sea Lion naval transport helicopters, delivered between 2019 and 2023, which are continuously deployed on maritime search and rescue missions and aboard 702-class replenishment ships.