A press release from the French Ministry of Armed Forces cited: Signing of the new operational support contract for the NH90 helicopter; improving the availability of the French and German fleets while strengthening cooperation with partner nations The NAHEMA (NATO Helicopter Management Agency) signed on May 23 on behalf of France and Germany, with the NH Industries consortium (composed of Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo, and Fokker), the new operational support contract for the NH90, a performance-based service contract.
Like any complex defense program, the NH90 has faced challenges and issues during its development and operational service. These challenges can include performance issues, technical problems, or delays in deliveries. It’s not uncommon for defense contracts to involve ongoing discussions and negotiations to address these issues and find resolutions.
To obtain the most accurate and up-to-date information on any new French military orders related to the NH90 or efforts to resolve its issues, I recommend referring to reliable news sources or official announcements from the French Ministry of Defense or the NH90 program stakeholders.
The NH90 has been a “combat-proven” helicopter for several years, which has already proven its high added value in external operations for the Army and the French Navy during deployments on combat ships for the fight against underwater.
However, the NH90 has also suffered from spare parts shortages in recent years, resulting in largely insufficient operational availability. The objective of this new contract: is that the armies immediately have spare parts for maintenance and repairs. This is to meet the requirements of operational availability.
To sustainably increase the operational availability of the NH90 fleet, the first stage of work was carried out in 2020 by NAHEMA, the General Armament Directorate (DGA) and the Aeronautical Maintenance Directorate (DMAé) for the French armies, and the NH Industries consortium. The team of experts formed then extended the support contract initially designed around French needs, for operational support adapted to all partner nations using NH90 helicopters. In an extremely short but intensive period, the experts have thus transcribed all the complexity of the logistics into a long-term contract (three times five years) with a target of 50 percent availability from the start of 2023.
First, the supply of spare parts will now be the industry’s responsibility. This includes the material planning of manufacturing, storage based on needs and the respect of delivery times in the warehouses of the units of each of the armies concerned, as well as industrial repairs carried out at Airbus Helicopters. Industry experts will also be distributed among the units to facilitate technical exchanges and maintenance forecasts. Then, the duration of maintenance visits will evolve according to clear commitments to reduce the time devoted to this task. Finally, a performance incentive process has been established to encourage manufacturers to exceed availability targets.
NH Industries, and Airbus Helicopters, in particular, are committed to achieving the fixed availability rate and flight hours targets, required, and guaranteed in this new NH90 operational support contract. This contract is the first step towards more effective joint support, for the benefit of all the partner nations of the NHS90 program. France and Germany will be the first to apply it. Other nations have already expressed their intention to join them in the medium term, at the same time strengthening cooperation between all participants in the NH90 program.
