The Qatar Emiri Air Force took delivery of its first two NH90 NFH naval helicopters from Leonardo the company announced on 7 April. The NH90s were delivered from Leonardo’s Venice Tessera final assembly line.
Qatar operates both versions of the NH90, the NH90 NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter) and the TTH (Tactical Transport Helicopter) for land-based operations. Qatar’s NH90 programme includes 16 NH90 TTHs, 12 NH90 NFHs, comprehensive support, maintenance & training services package along with associated infrastructure.
The NH90 is the largest military helicopter programme in Europe. The platform features a fully composite airframe with a large cabin, an excellent power-to-weight ratio, and a wide range of role equipment. It has a quadruplex fly-by-wire flight control system which reduces pilot workload and has enhanced flight handling characteristics. Nearly 470 NH90 helicopters are in service worldwide.
NH90
| Type: | Designer: |
| Multi-role helicopter | NHIndustries |
| Manufacturer: | Country of origin: |
| NHIndustries | France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, United Kingdom |
| First flight: | In service: |
| December 1995 | 2007 |
| Operators: | Crew: |
| Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands | 3 |
| Max speed: | Range: |
| 300 km/h (160 kn) | 800 km (430 nmi) TTH; 1,000 km (540 nmi) NFH |
| Engine: | Dimensions: |
| 2 × CT7-8E turboshaft engines, 1,845 kW (2,474 hp) each; 2 × Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322-1/9 turboshaft engines, 1,802 kW (2,417 hp) each | Length: 19.56 m; width: 16.30 m; height: 5.31 m |
| Armament: | On-board systems: |
| Anti-submarine torpedoes; air-to-surface missiles; air-to-air missiles; internal pintle mounted machine gun (7.62 or 12.7 mm); 20mm cannon | Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR); Weather Radar; Digital Map Generator; Helmet Mounted Sight and Display; |
