After more than two decades of delays and technical problems, Norway has decided to bring the manufacturer NHIndustries (NHI) in court, asking for compensation six times higher than the original value of the contract for helicopters Nh90.
According to the Norwegian portal Technical weekly magazinethe Oslo government requires compensation for 33 billion of Norwegian crowns (2.8 billion euros) after the failure of the mediation negotiations. The case will be examined by District Court of Oslo Starting from November 10, 2025.
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A problematic program from the beginning
In 2001, Norway ordered Norway 14 NH90 helicopters through the NATO helicopter management agency (Nahema), for a cost of approximately 5 billion crowns (about 500 million euros at the time). The helicopters, built by Nhindustries – a consortium formed by Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo e Fokker – They were intended for missions of Anti -Sommergible War, research and rescue e coast guard.
However, the program quickly turned into one of the most problematic in the recent history of European defense.
A 2018 report by Head of the Norwegian Armed Forces He had already warned that the NH90 fleet could have achieved the contractual objectives only with “a good availability of spare parts, adequate maintenance structures and a sufficiently large support organization.”
“More than 20 years and still no operating helicopter”
“We have made several attempts to terminate the problems related to the NH90 in collaboration with NHI, but more than 20 years after the signature of the contract, we still do not have helicopters able to carry out the missions for which they were purchased,” he said Gro Jæredirector of the Defense material (FMA), the Norwegian agency for defense purchases, in June 2022.
Withdrawal and replacement
In the same year, the Norwegian direction for defense material made an unprecedented decision: withdraw and return the entire NH90 fleetasking for a complete refund.
“No matter how many hours work our technicians or how many pieces we order – it will never be possible to make the NH90 compliant with the requirements of our armed forces,” said the then defense minister Bjørn Arild Gram.
NHIndustries He reacted with “extreme disappointment”, claiming that he had not had the opportunity to present his last proposal to improve the availability of helicopters in the country.
Shortly after the termination of the contract, Oslo signed a new agreement with the US company Sikorsky – a branch of Lockheed Martin – For the supply of helicopters HH-60Wintended to replace the NH90.
From reimbursement to the billionaire request
Initially, Norway asked only the reimbursement of the 500 million euros relating to the original purchase. Now the request has climbed to 2.8 billion eurosincluding: – the reimbursement of all the sums paid to NHI; -the cost of the new order of HH-60W helicopters (1.09 billion euros); – the maintenance and operating costs of the NH90 during the service period.
A global problem with the NH90
Norway is not alone. Other countries have also expressed frustration for the performance of NH90. Australia has decided to replace his 41 NH90 Mr. Taipan con 40 UH-60M Black Hawkciting the high maintenance costs and low availability. The Australian Royal Navy also announced the replacement of its naval Mrh90 with 12 MH-60R Seahawk.
Sweden he followed the same way, confirming in 2022 that he will collect his versions HKP-14 of the NH90 by 2035, opting for new ones UH-60 Black Hawk for transport and for a future successor intended for naval missions.
Sources and images: Teknisk Ukeblad | Norwegian Armed Forces | Forsvaret | Aerotime. This content was made with the help of the AI and reviewed by the editorial staff.
