Dutch NH90 deliveries to resume

Deliveries to the Dutch armed forces of its remaining seven NH90 maritime helicopters – halted on the back of corrosion issues – are set to resume after the two sides hammered out a compromise agreement.
The acceptance process was stopped in June after problems were noticed on two aircraft that had been deployed at sea. Subsequent analysis by the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory found a number of design faults contributed to the corrosion.
Under the terms of the deal announced on 16 December, the NHI consortium – comprising Airbus Helicopters, AgustaWestland and Fokker – accepts full responsibility for the issue and will bear the cost of developing any modifications, repairs and preventive measures.
In all, some 75 points from the 100 identified now have solutions, with the remainder to be addressed in early 2015.
Two further deliveries of NH90 NFHs to the Netherlands Defence Helicopter Command are anticipated in 2014.
flightglobal

Peru Acquires Dutch Replenishment Ship

Peru has acquired the Netherlands’ fleet replenishment ship HNLMS “Amsterdam,” which will be delivered in December.
Completed in 1995, the Amsterdam can carry 8,475 tons of fuel and 290 tons from stores.
The 166-meter-long ship has four abeam stations for the transfer of fuel underway, as well as a hangar and flight deck able to accommodate four light liaison helicopters or three medium transport helicopters.
The Navy is set to procure 10 new helicopters in the short term. The plans also include acquisition of two maritime patrol aircraft and of 32 armored amphibious vehicles for the marines.
defensenews

NH90 Moved out of Development Phase

While the first NH90s were delivered in 2006, the program has finally reached maturity and the helicopter is not in development anymore, being deployed by customers.”
This year the production line will turn out about 50 of the NH90’s two variants, a production number that the company expects will remain steady. A total of 195 aircraft have been delivered to 12 nations.
The company’s attention is turning to reducing the frequency of maintenance on various components, and adjusting equipment.
At the moment, NHIndustries is targeting the Germans, who have already cut their order from 202 helicopters of both the standard and naval variants to 139. Germany is still sorting through the specifications for its version of the naval variant, with the expectation that equipment will be delivered in 2017.
Other controversy arose after the Dutch complained that their naval variant was suffering rust issues after patrolling in anti-piracy efforts. The NHIndustries and Airbus officials dismissed these problems as “teething issues,” and laid some of the blame for the problems at the feet of the Dutch.
defensenews

Dutch maritime NH90s suffer corrosion

Last year, the Royal Netherlands Air Force deployed one of its NH90s for the first time aboard a navy vessel, during anti-piracy operation Atalanta in the Gulf of Aden.
After an inspection conducted following the mission, it was concluded that the amount of wear and tear and corrosion to the helicopter was much higher than anticipated. The same problems were noted on another aircraft deployed to the Caribbean.
The air force has come to the conclusion that the problems seem to be caused by design and assembly failures, and incomplete maintenance instructions..
NH Industries has acknowledged the problems and started its own investigation into possible solutions.
Information about the Dutch corrosion issue has also been shared with the NATO helicopter management agency and other NH90 partner countries. France has also reported two cases of corrosion.
Meanwhile, Italy has recently started naval operations with its NFH-variant aircraft.
flightglobal

Royal Netherlands Navy NH90 NFH Helicopter first operational deployment for Somalia Mission

The newest helicopter of the Dutch Armed Forces, the NH90 is aboard HNLMS De Ruyter Frigate on its way to Somalia. It is the first overseas mission for the maritime helicopter. The NH90 will provide an important contribution to the EU anti-piracy mission Atalanta.

The board helicopter will be mainly used for intelligence, reconnaissance and patrol and thus will act as the 'eyes and ears' of the frigate. With advanced detection equipment such as EO/IR sensor, radar and gauge collected information can then be forwared quickly and automatically via a data link.

The helicopter crew consists of a pilot, a coordinator for the tactical execution of the mission and an operator who operates the sensors and analyzes if necessary onboard weapons deployment. For helicopter operations from HNLMS De Ruyter, a total of 13 men are onboard.

navyrecognition

Royal Netherlands Navy tests NH90 helicopter and Holland class OPV in bad weather

Royal Netherlands Navy crews of the NH90 helicopter and HNLMS Holland Offshore Patrol Vessel conducted deck landings with winds up to Force 8 and waves up to 4 meters high last week in the North Sea.

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