First flight of the NH90 MRFH "Sea Tiger"

On 30 November, the first NH90 "Sea Tiger" from Airbus Helicopters completed its maiden flight as planned at the Donauwörth production site. According to the company, this marks the start of the qualification phase, during which the focus will be on the extended flight tests and testing new systems that are or will be installed in this flight type. The developer and manufacturer of this navalised helicopter type is NHIndustries, a joint venture between Airbus Helicopters (62.5 %), Leonardo (32 %) and GKN Fokker (5.5 %) for rotorcraft production.

Under the designation NH90 Multi Role Frigate Helicopter (MRFH), the Bundeswehr had already ordered 31 "Sea Tiger" helicopters three years ago with delivery dates from the end of 2025 to the beginning of 2030 at a rate of six to seven helicopters per year. They are to replace the Mk 88A "Sea Lynx" helicopter and will be deployed on board the F124 and F125 frigates and later on the F126 frigate.

The "Sea Tiger" has been developed from the tried-and-tested NH90 NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter) specifically to meet the requirements of the German Navy for anti-submarine warfare tasks. It is therefore the latest version of this type series from Airbus Helicopters. The latest developments include electro-optical and electronic sensors for on-board reconnaissance and engagement of targets on, above and below the water surface. In addition, the Sea Tiger will be equipped with proven technology from Thales such as diving sonar, sonar buoys and weapons (MU90 torpedoes and MARTE ER missiles) from MBDA.

The German Navy is already flying 18 NH90 "Sea Lion" naval transport helicopters, which were delivered on schedule between 2019 and 2023. They are also among a total of 135 NH90 naval helicopters that are in operation in six countries and have already completed over 90,000 flight hours in search and rescue missions as well as humanitarian and military operations. According to Airbus, more than 500 NH90 helicopters are in service worldwide.