German Navy NH90 Sea Tiger performs maiden flight

4 December 2023

Donauwörth, 30 November 2023

The first NH90 Sea Tiger took off on-schedule for its maiden flight, at Airbus Helicopters' site in Donauwörth, Germany. The German Bundeswehr ordered 31 NH90 Sea Tiger multi role frigate helicopters (MRFH) for the German Navy’s shipborne operations in 2020.

Airbus Helicopters is now entering a qualification phase that will focus on flight testing the helicopter and new systems to be installed on board the NH90 Sea Tiger. Deliveries are scheduled to begin at the end of 2025.
The NH90 Sea Lion, which is already in service with the Navy, has recently proven its capabilities during a first major rescue operation in the North Sea.

The helicopters will replace the German Navy’s ageing Mk88A Sea Lynx fleet which entered into service in 1981.
The Bundeswehr already operates 18 NH90 Sea Lion naval transport helicopters which were delivered on schedule between 2019 and 2023.

The Sea Tiger is the latest version of the proven NH90 NFH (Naval Version).
It has been specifically designed to match the needs of the German Navy for a state-of-the-art antisubmarine warfare helicopter. Novelties include a new Electro-Optical System and improved Electronic Support Measures (ESM). On top, the Sea Tiger is equipped with a dipping sonar, sonobuoys, and weapons (torpedoes and missiles).
The shipborne Sea Tigers’ missions include, in addition to reconnaissance and transport, engaging targets above and below the surface.

135 naval NH90 helicopters have already been delivered to six nations and have completed over 90,000 flight hours in search and rescue, humanitarian, and military operations. The NH90 helicopter is the largest military helicopter programme in Europe, and it is the optimal choice for modern operations thanks to its full-composite airframe with a large cabin, its excellent power-to-weight ratio and its wide range of role equipment.

It features a quadruplex fly-by-wire flight control system for reduced pilot workload and enhanced flight handling characteristics. The NH90 is available in two main variants: one specified for naval operations, the NH90 NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter) and the TTH (Tactical Transport Helicopter) for land-based operations.

As of today, over 500 NH90 helicopters, a mixture of both variants, have been delivered worldwide carrying out missions in a wide range of weather and environmental conditions, over land and sea, and have amassed in excess of 370,000 flight hours.