DELIVERY OF THE FIRST ITALIAN NH90 TTH IN F.O.C CONFIGURATION

NHI is proud to announce the delivery of the first NH90 TTH in FOC (Final Operational Capability) configuration for the Italian Army. This event took place during an official ceremony held at the AgustaWestland’s Venice Tessera plant today in the presence of Italian Army Deputy Chief of Staff Gen. Enzo Stefanini. This delivery brings to 21 the number of NH90 TTHs delivered to the Italian Army so far out of an order for a total number of 60 units.

This latest delivery marks a major milestone for the Italian Army NH90 programme as five aircraft currently deployed in Afghanistan exceeded 470 flight hours with outstanding performance, reliability and mission effectiveness in extreme and demanding environmental, weather and operational conditions. The Italian Army also operates the NH90 programme fleet leader which has achieved approximately 900 flight hours so far with the support of industry. AgustaWestland's Venice Tessera plant, covering 24,000 m2, is the new Italian final assembly line for the 160 NH90s ordered so far by Italy (Army and Navy, 60 and 56 helicopters respectively), the Netherlands (20), Norway (14) and Portugal (10). The Venice Tessera plant will progressively expand to become the NH90 programme hub for all AgustaWestland customers, including the provision of maintenance, spare parts, engineering services, upgrades and modifications as well as future developments of new product configurations.

The NH90 TTH (Tactical Transport Helicopter) variant is a helicopter of 11 ton class primarily configured to perform tactical transport missions in all environments by day and night. The NH90 TTH flexibility allows its users to perform additional missions such as internal/external load transport, Heliborne Operations, Special Operations, Search and Rescue, Casualties Evacuation and Training missions.

The NH90 TTH is the most modern helicopter of its class available on the market. It features a high level of system integration built around a dual bus Core Avionic System, full glass cockpit with Multifunction Displays, Fly-by-wire controls with 4-axis Automatic Flight Control System. The dedicated Mission System includes among others: Piloting Forward Looking Infrared system, Helmet Mounted Sight and Display, Obstacle Warning System, Electronic Warfare System, Tactical Control and Tactical Communication System, Weather Radar, Digital Map Generator and an on-board Monitoring and Diagnostic System. Up to 2 x M134D miniguns and ballistic protection further enhance self-defence capabilities. It features a fully composite crashworthy fuselage. The two modern GE/AVIO T700 – T6E1 engines provide the Italian Army’s NH90s with power reserve in all environments. The NH90 helicopter has provision for a number of role equipment to enable mission flexibility and effectiveness coupled with a high level of safety and survivability. More than 140 NH90s have been delivered to 13 countries logging almost 40,000 flight hours to date.

The twin-engine, medium-size NH90 helicopter program is managed by the consortium NHIndustries, the Company owned by AgustaWestland (32%), Eurocopter (62.5%), and Stork Fokker (5.5%).The NH90 helicopter programme is the largest ever launched in Europe, with firm orders now reaching 529 units for 19 Armed Forces of 14 Nations: France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Greece, Oman, Australia, New-Zealand, Spain and Belgium

For urther information, please contact:

Mr. Julien Negrel NHIndustries Business Director
Tel.: +33 (0)4 42 95 97 02
Fax: +33 (0)4 42 95 97 49
www.nhindustries.com