Germany is accelerating the delivery of its navy’s new NH Industries (NHI) NH90 Sea Tiger fleet, to ensure it can field helicopters equipped with Software Release 3 (SWR3)-standard upgrades by 2029.
Speaking on 15 December ahead of the arrival of the service’s first example of the anti-submarine/anti-surface warfare (ASW/ASuW)-roled rotorcraft the following day, Captain Broder Nielsen, commander of German naval aviation, said “we need those aircraft fast and faster”.
“But we are in good communication with NHI and we achieved already a speeding up of the delivery programme. So I am looking forward to receiving the aircraft to come.”
In addition to the initial helicopter handed over to the German navy at its Nordholz base on 16 December, the service will receive two more Sea Tigers by the end of the week, the airframer says. Deliveries of all 31 units from the 2020 order are due to complete in 2030.
But Nielsen says the goal of the acceleration is about more than simply growing the size of its fleet.
“We are all aware that we might face Russian aggression from 2029, so what I need to have is the first ‘step 4’ helicopter in 2029.
“So I don’t talk about how many I need, but I need this aircraft in that configuration by 2029 at the latest.”
Step 1 and 2 aircraft relate to those already acquired as part of the navy’s Sea Lion programme for 18 search and rescue-roled NH90s. Step 3 helicopters are the initial Sea Tiger deliveries, while those in step 4 will be equipped with the upgrades embodied in SWR3.
Those enhancements include a Link 22 data link, a Leonardo LEOSS-T next-generation high-definition electro-optical system and OTS-90 Mark II sonar, navigation system updates and integration of MBDA’s Marte ER anti-ship missile.
Currently in development following a contract signed in June 2024, delivery of the first fully SWR3-configured NH90 is due in 2029, with Germany the lead customer.
Nielsen says testing and evaluation of embarked operations with the Sea Tiger are due to begin next year, building on lessons learned during qualification trials earlier this year.
Arrival of the first Sea Tigers also signals the beginning of the end for Germany’s aged Westland Sea Lynx fleet, which is due to be retired by the end of 2026. By that point, the NH90 must be ready to embark on the navy’s frigates, he says.
Nielsen describes the NH90 as “a lot more potent” than its predecessor, likening its capabilities to those of the Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft also being acquired by the navy.
“The lessons learned from the last embarkation of the Sea Lynx show us it is high time to change the system – the Sea Lynx cannot compete anymore in the warfare areas,” he says.
In addition, the Sea Tiger will enable the navy to re-establish a lapsed ASuW capability.
“Since we don’t have fast jets anymore, we have not shot any missiles against surface vessels [for some time] – this will be a big improvement in our capacity,” he says, noting that Germany is also considering equipping its P-8s with stand-off anti-ship missiles.
Although the Sea Tiger does not fit on the navy’s smallest frigates, the F123 Brandenburg-class ships, it can be accommodated on the current F124 Sachsen- and F125 Baden-Wurttemberg-, and future F126 Niedersachsen-class vessels.
Delivery of the first Sea Tiger comes almost exactly two years after the rotorcraft performed its maiden sortie at the Donauworth, southern Germany facility of NHI consortium member Airbus Helicopters.
Axel Aloccio, president of NHI and head of the NH90 programme at Airbus Helicopters, says the manufacturer has stuck to the delivery schedule agreed when the Sea Tiger was ordered.
“We are happy and proud to be able to deliver this Sea Tiger on time,” he adds, describing it as the “latest and greatest configuration” of the naval NFH variant.
NHI has seen a recent uptick in sales activity, with the Netherlands on 9 December confirming an order for three NFHs – all SWR3-standard aircact – plus two options, while Spain is likely to sign shortly for a third batch of 32 transport-roled TTHs split between all three services.
Aloccio says the manufacturer has been in discussions with “a lot of new prospects” and has been “heavily engaged in lots of different commercial campaigns” targeting further orders.
While he declines to reveal details, he says “formal announcements” should be forthcoming in the first half of 2026.
On top of which, Aloccio expects to sign by year-end a contract with the NATO Helicopter Management Agency – acting behalf of NH90 customers – to kick off a two-year “architecture study” examining options for the future Block 2 upgrade of the 11t type.
Although the integration of weapons onto the TTH variant will be considered within the Block 2 enhancements, Spain has said it is interested in arming some of the helicopters from its next order.
Aloccio declines to speculate on whether the timeline for arming the NH90 TTH could be advanced as a result of any Spanish acquisition.
NHI is a three-way consortium comprising Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo Helicopters and GKN/Fokker.
