Australia MRH-90 in 2015 Australia ordered the NH90 in 2004 to replace its S-70A Black Hawk helicopters, eventually acquiring 46 aircraft designated MRH-90 Taipan, most of which were assembled domestically. The type entered service in 2007 with the
Australian Army and later with the
Royal Australian Navy. The program was affected by technical issues, delays and increased costs, prompting repeated groundings and extending the service life of older helicopters. After multiple operational challenges and two serious accidents in 2023, the fleet was permanently withdrawn from
Australian Defence Force service in September 2023, ahead of its planned retirement, and replaced by the UH-60M Black Hawk.
Belgium In 2007, Belgium signed on for a firm order of 8 aircraft (4 TTH, 4 NFH) and an option for 2 additional TTH. In September 2012, NHI performed the first flight of Belgium's TTH, which is broadly similar to the French NH90 "Caiman" version. In January 2013, eight NH90s were on firm order. On 1 August 2013, Belgium received its first NH90 NFH at full operational capability. On 23 October 2013, Belgium's first NH90 TTH entered service, and the last was delivered on 13 November 2014. From first delivery until the last, three NH90s flew 34 hours a month for a total of 450 flight hours with a 67 percent availability rate, making Belgium one of the type's most intensive users. Two NH90 NFHs for the navy were delivered. The final two were delivered by early 2015 to replace their
Westland Sea King helicopters for
search and rescue operations. On 21 August 2015, the Belgian Navy declared its NH90s had attained initial operational readiness. On 28 August 2015, the first rescue mission performed by a Belgian Navy NH90 took place. In June 2020, the Strategic Defence Review (STAR) of Belgium planned to phase out the 4 TTH helicopters by 2024 due to their high operating costs and low availability. They are planned to be replaced, along with the Agusta A109, by 15
Airbus H145M helicopters. The 4 NFH variants are to remain operational and be provided with currently-lacking sensors and weapons for
anti-submarine warfare (ASW). There was discussion in 2023 to sell the 4 TTH and buy one more NFH; together with the acquisition of new helicopters the NFH will no longer be tasked with search and rescue missions. Belgium is expanding its defence budget and naval capabilities in the 2030s, and naval NH90s are planned to be upgraded and to operate from in-service
frigates. In addition, Belgium is using NH90 mission flight trainer in partnership with the Netherlands. In July 2025, the decision was made to phase out 4 NH90 TTH as per the September 2025 announcement by the Belgian Minister of Defence due to the high costs associated with the helicopter and the lower than expected availability.
Finland NH90 in
Turku, Finland in May 2012 In October 2001, Finland signed a contract for 20 NH90 TTHs for the
Finnish Army to replace its ageing fleet of
Mil Mi-8 helicopters. This decision was made as a group as part of the Nordic Standard Helicopter program along with Sweden and Norway. In March 2008, NHIndustries began NH90 deliveries to Finland; deliveries had been delayed from an initial 2004 date, to minimize further delay, aircraft were first delivered to an Initial Operational Configuration (IOC-) and Nearly Operational Configuration (IOC+), to be later modified by Patria into a Final Operational Configuration (FOC). In September 2011, the
Finnish Defence Forces and Patria signed an agreement to provide ballistic protection for onboard personnel across the NH90 fleet. In June 2011, nine Finnish NH90s participated in the
Finnish Defence Forces' main field exercise, transporting 157 soldiers across 320 kilometres in two rotations; their performance was described as having exceeded expectations. In January 2015, it was reported that Finnish NH90s had been experiencing considerable reliability issues, at one time in 2014 fleet availability dipped to 19%, and some spare parts had up to seven months waiting time. By early 2015, the combined NH90s fleet had accumulated a total of 7,000 flight hours, and had an availability rate of 40%. On 18 June 2015, delivery of the final Finnish NH90 took place. In November 2015, the availability rate was reported as having surpassed 50 percent. All were in Final Operational Configuration (FOC) in 2018.
France The French government had initially ordered a total of 34 NH90 TTHs for the
French Army Light Aviation and 27 NFH for the
Navy. Both versions will be named "Caïman" and final assembly will be carried out by
Airbus Helicopters. Early on, the French Army stated its intention to buy 68 NH90 in two separate contracts. Under the "Bonn rebate" deal, France received a 12% discount on its 68 Army NH90s; a November 2012 Senate report put the French TTH unit price at €28.6M after discount, set on the assumption of total orders of 605 aircraft by 2020. Cuts to France's order would have led to workshare reallocation; possibly including French Navy NFH90s being assembled in Italy and Fokker performing maintenance of French TTHs. In January 2016, France placed an order for six additional NH90 TTHs. The French Army took delivery of its first NH90 TTH in December 2011. Just one week after entering service, a French NH90 rescued 19 people from supply ship TK
Bremen at night. On 21 December 2012, the French Navy received its first NH90 NFH in final operating capability. In December 2010, the NH90 formally achieved in-service status with the French Navy, being initially used to perform search and rescue and maritime counter-terrorism operations. The first seven NH90s were delivered to an interim "Step A" configuration; later deliveries were to the "Step B" standard and produced at a rate of two per year until 2020. The French Navy formally cleared the type to perform ASW duties in 2012, clearance to perform ASW missions followed in 2013, allowing the NH90 to take over missions previously performed by the
Westland Lynx and
Aérospatiale Super Frelon rotorcraft fleets. In October 2020, France signed a contract to develop the TFRA Standard 2 configuration for the French Army's special forces using the final batch of 10 NH90 TTH already ordered. A design study for the new configuration began 18 months earlier in cooperation with Belgium and Australia. The first phase featured a
Safran EuroFLIR 410 electro-optical system (EOS), external fuel tanks and a digital 3D map. The weather was so extreme the first rescuer was stranded when the winch line snapped, but the rescuer along with the boaters, who were in a life raft were able to be retrieved by an additional NH90.
Germany 2016 The German Army procured the troop transport variant; the first three serial production NH90s were delivered to the army in December 2006. By January 2013, a total of 80 aircraft were on order for the army. In March 2013, the German government chose to reorganize the NH90 procurement; the Army's fleet of 122 NH90s was reduced to 82; 18 NH90s previously ordered for the army were converted to the NFH maritime variant for the navy instead. On 26 June 2013, the German defense committee declared that the order for a combined 202 NH90 and
Tiger helicopters was to be reduced to 157. In December 2014, Germany announced that, in addition to the 80 troop transports firmly on order, it was considering an option for an additional 22 NH90s; it was investigating the possibility of setting up a multinational helicopter unit to operate these 22 NH90s as a shared NATO resource with other countries using and contributing to the force. In July 2012, Germany's NH90 fleet reached a combined total of 5,000 flight hours. In April 2013, up to 4 German Army NH90 TTHs were deployed in
Afghanistan in a Forward Air Medical Evacuation role in support of coalition forces operating in the country. On 23 June 2013, German Army NH90s were declared operationally capable of medical evacuation operations. Following an engine failure and controlled crash in
Uzbekistan in July 2014, the army temporarily grounded the type for investigation. In December 2015, it was announced that production of the German Navy's variant of the NH90 NFH, named
Sea Lion, had commenced; a refit of the German Army's TTH variant was also underway at the same time. Since late 2014, Germany has promoted the creation of a multinational NH90 force for combat
MEDEVAC missions; the taskforce would comprise up to 20 NH90s. The Navy's version, known as the NH90 Sea Lion, is based on the NH90 NFH. It first flew on 8 December 2016. The 18 NH90 Sea Lions are equipped with improved navigation and communications equipment, permitting operation within civil airspace, along with additional sensors for military missions. The IFF system was also updated. Designed to replace Germany's
Westland Sea Kings in the SAR and Vertrep roles, the Sea Lion was to enter service with the German Navy by the second quarter of 2019. The first NFH Sea Lion was accepted in October 2019. On 26 November 2019, the German Navy stated that the NH90 was not operational yet due to deficiencies in technical documentation not allowing safe operations. The NFH Sea Lion entered service in June 2020. By February 2023, 18 Sea Lions had been delivered. On 20 November 2020, the Bundestag approved the purchase of 31 more helicopters for the navy to replace their 22
Sea Lynx Mk88A helicopters via a deal valued at €2.7 billion, including spares, accessories, and training material. This version, called the Sea Tiger, is designed for ASW and ship warfare (and can also do SAR), and operates in conjunction with German Navy Frigates.
Greece In August 2003,
Greece ordered 20 NH90s with an option for 14 more. In early 2013, the German newspaper
Bild alleged that Airbus officials paid €41 million in bribes to Greek officials to secure the order; Airbus stated that the claim was "groundless". On 12 December it was stated that deliveries would start again after an embargo by the Hellenic Government, with four helicopters being of the SPECOPS specification. By early 2017, 12 NH90s had been delivered and were in service, with eight aircraft yet to be delivered. By December 2023, there were 16 NH90 in service, which operated alongside around twelve
AS332 Super Puma and 60 older UH-1H (
AB-205) as multirole helicopters; at this time it was announced the UH-60 was selected to replace both these older types. All 20 were delivered by October 2025. The follow-on support contract was signed in December 2025.
Italy NH90 landing at
Farah Air Base, Afghanistan, 2019 In June 2000, Italy signed an initial contract for a batch of 60 TTH (Tactical Transport Helicopter) for the Italian Army, along with a further 46 NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter) and 10 TTH for the
Italian Navy. On 30 December 2007, the first NH90 TTH was formally handed over to the Italian Army. On 23 June 2011, the navy received its first NH90, which was delivered to an interim MOC (Meaningful Operational Capability) standard, capable of performing training, search and rescue, and utility operations; anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capabilities were not initially available until aircraft are retrofitted to a FOC (Final Operational Capability) standard. In May 2013, the Italian Army took delivery of the first NH90 TTH of a FOC standard; in November 2013, the Italian Navy took delivery of its first FOC-standard NH90 NFH. The Italian NH90 fleet uses the
GE T700-T6E1 turbine engine. Italian NH90s are used for the following tasks tactical troop transport according NHI as reported by Heli Hub news: logistics support, special operations, cargo resupply and hoisting, medical evacuations, light vehicle transport, disaster relief, and emergency response operations. The NH90s, which were air-transported individually by allied
Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft, replaced six
Agusta/Bell 205s in performing tactical transport and medevac operations; Army Aviation Commander Gen. Enzo Stefanini stated that "...in Afghan conditions, the NH90 is delivering performance 15 percent above what was envisaged". In December 2022, Italy received its 60th and final TTH (Transport version) from the Venice Tessera facility which opened in 2010 and delivered its first aircraft in 2011. In October 2023, the Italian Navy received its 56th and final NH90; that same month, the service also reportedly attained a cumulative 35,000 flight hours across its fleet.
Netherlands The Netherlands, one of the original supporters of the program, ordered a total of 20 units, comprising 12 NFH and 8 TNFH for the
Royal Netherlands Navy, They replace the
Westland Lynx. In 2010, the Royal Netherlands Navy became the first customer to receive the NFH variant. In 2009, concerns surfaced that design changes had made the NH90 too heavy to operate from Dutch
frigates for which they were ordered. In June 2014, the Dutch government decided not to accept the last batch of 7 NH90s due to some 100 shortcomings found in relation to the design, manufacture, and material choice of the rotorcraft, in particular corrosion in the presence of salt water. In December 2014, deliveries restarted after the Dutch government came to an agreement with NHI, under which modifications and necessary repairs against corrosion would be made at the manufacturer's cost; 75 of the 100 shortcomings were also reported as having been solved. In April 2013, the navy deployed the type onboard to fight piracy in the
Gulf of Aden. In November 2014, the navy deployed a single NH90 NFH to
Somalia to support
Operation Atlanta. In 2020 one NH90 was lost in an accident in the Caribbean, which reduced the fleet size to 19. In 2024, the Netherlands announced it would upgrade its remaining fleet with a mid-life upgrade including communications and weapon systems. On 5 September 2024, the Dutch MoD released the 2024 Defense Memorandum where 6 more NH90 NFH helicopters are to be ordered increasing the fleet to a total of 25. In the end, only 3 additional were ordered in December 2025. However, the contract includes an option for two more helicopters.
New Zealand NH90 in a tight turn In July 2006, the New Zealand government signed an NZ$771 million (~€500M) contract to purchase eight NH90s (plus one extra for spares) to replace the
Royal New Zealand Air Force's (RNZAF) fleet of 13 UH-1 Iroquois helicopters. For ease of manufacture and logistics, New Zealand deliberately chose its NH90 configuration to be nearly identical to the larger Australian fleet. On 31 October 2014, the RNZAF announced that they had received into service the last of the eight NH90 TTHs. Following command structure changes in December 2014, the NH90 fleet was tasked with additional responsibilities, including casualty evacuation during search and rescue operations and providing transport services to the New Zealand Police and other government personnel. In April 2015, Defence Minister
Gerry Brownlee questioned the inability of the NH90 fleet to contribute to relief efforts in the aftermath of
Cyclone Pam, revealing that the fleet may be refitted with an automated blade and tail folding system to better enable ship borne deployments in the future. In April 2016, NH90s flew 160 hours during relief missions in Fiji following the devastation of
Cyclone Winston, and transported a variety of staff to different locations. The NH90 served alongside the NZ Sea sprites, and with additional logistical support from fixed wing aircraft. After the
Kaikōura earthquakes in November 2016, the NH90s were critical in delivering aid and supplies to the area. They also assisted with civilian evacuations of foreign nationals. In April 2017, the RNZAF's NH90 fleet was grounded following an in-flight single engine failure which forced an emergency landing. In November 2021, New Zealand NH90, NZ3302, became the first of its type to reach 2,000 flying hours. According to the RNZAF, despite being delivered years after other customers, high serviceability rates allow New Zealand NH90s to fly more hours per aircraft than other operators. New Zealand states it was getting acceptable flight hours from its fleet and was not going to change its maintenance regime. In May 2025, the RNZAF flew a formation flight of 7 of the 8 airframes in the fleet from Base Ohakea, displaying their continued high availability rate. In September 2025, two New Zealand NH90s flew from
Cairns, Australia, to
Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. The 838 km flight across the
Coral Sea, which took four hours to complete, was the longest NH90 flight conducted by the RNZAF and necessitated two 500kg external gas tanks and an additional internal gas tank as a reserve. It was the first time New Zealand NH90s had flown between two countries.
Norway In 2001, Norway ordered 14 NH90s for the
Royal Norwegian Navy and
Norwegian Coast Guard, originally set to be delivered in 2005–2008. This move came as part of the
Nordic Standard Helicopter Program along with Sweden and Finland. In July 2012, the Norwegian Deputy Defence Minister
Roger Ingebrigtsen announced that "once our current
Westland Lynx helicopters reach their end of life in 2014, we are going to have replacement helicopters on our naval vessels. If the NH90 hasn't been delivered, we will purchase another helicopterconsidering that the aircraft were to be delivered by 2005, and that delivery is yet to start by 2012, our confidence in the producer isn't exactly on the rise" In August 2012, it was reported that the
Royal Norwegian Air Force would recommend that the
Ministry of Defence contact Sikorsky to check if
H-60 Seahawk variants, such as the MH-60R, could be a viable NH90 alternative for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) duties. Defence Minister
Espen Barth Eide stated "We still believe the marine version of the NH90 to be the optimal platform, and we hope to purchase it, but there are limits to our patience." By January 2016, six NH90s had been delivered. A February 2018 report by the
Norwegian Armed Forces found that its NH90 fleet offered insufficient flight hours for the intended roles; this report advised that all helicopters be converted to the ASW role as required by the Royal Norwegian Navy, as opposed to current plans which see 6 of the 14 NH90s in that role, and the rest configured for Norwegian Coast Guard duties. The Norwegian Ministry of Defence stated that it would consider the report's recommendations. In September 2018, the Norwegian Armed Forces reversed course via an updated study which affirmed that, under certain conditions, the requirements for both the navy and coast guard can be met with 14 NH90s; these conditions specifically state good spare parts availability, sufficient aircraft for maintenance scheduling, and a sufficient overhaul capacity. Norwegian Minister of Defence
Frank Bakke-Jensen added that, although the inauguration is challenging, the ministry holds on to the timeline in which phasing in will be completed by 2022. In February 2022, the Norwegian Minister of Defence again threatened to terminate the NH90 contract due to concerns over new delays and NHI not meeting contractual obligations, considering sourcing alternative helicopters. In June 2022, the Norwegian Minister of Defence
Bjørn Arild Gram announced the Norwegian Defence Material Agency was given the task to terminate the NH90 contract due to NHI not meeting contractual obligations, and announced that the NH90 is taken out of operation with immediate effect. Ten months later, Gram stated that the Lockheed Martin MH-60R Seahawk would replace the NH90. Norway also operated
Westland Sea Kings and
AW101 Merlins. In November 2025, the Norwegian government reached a settlement with NHIndustries. As part of the settlement, NHIndustries is to pay the Norwegian government €305 million, in addition to a further €70 million in existing bank guarantees. In turn, the Norwegian government is to return all of its NH90 helicopters and associated spare parts and related equipment to NHIndustries.
Oman In July 2004, the Sultanate of Oman issued an order for a total of 20 NH90 TTHs for the
Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO). To cope with the extreme flight conditions of the
Middle East, RAFO NH90s are equipped with enhanced power plants; the type is to replace the Agusta/Bell 205A and
Agusta/Bell 212 used for tactical transport, and search and rescue operations. On 23 June 2010, the first two NH90 TTHs were delivered to the RAFO at Musona Air Base. By July 2012, ten NH90s had been delivered to the RAFO; in Omani service, the NH90 has established an endurance record, flying without refuelling during a 5-hour 21 minute-long mission. The Oman NH90 are known to use 20mm gun pods, as opposed to smaller calibre door guns. A contract valued at €3 billion was signed at the Dimdex defence exhibition on 14 March 2018, which finalised the purchase of 28 NH90s, comprising 16 NH90s for tactical transport and 12 NH90s for naval purposes. On 20 August 2018, Leonardo announced the contract with Qatar was made effective for a total sum of US$3.7 billion, covering the agreed upon number of NH90s, with an option with six more of each type. On 23 December 2020, the first flights for Qatari-bound NH90s were being conducted for general evaluation. The first two NH90 for Qatar were handed over in March 2022.
Spain On 20 May 2005 the
Council of Ministers authorised the acquisition of 45 NH90 TTHs; in December 2006, it was announced that a procurement contract for the
Spanish Armed Forces had been signed. The Spanish NH90 variant features domestically assembled
General Electric CT7-8F5 engines, a customised communications suite, and Indra-developed electronic warning systems. The original budget for the procurement was for €1,260 million; by 2010, this had grown to €2,463M. In June 2012, it was announced that Spain was negotiating to cut its purchase to 37 aircraft. On 18 December 2014, Spain took delivery of the first NH90 TTH, which had been assembled at Airbus Helicopters Albacete facility; by this point, the order had been reduced to a total of 22 NH90s of the TTH variant. Spain chose the GE CT7-8F5 turbine engine for its fleet. In January 2018, NHIndustries president Vincent Dubrule stated he was confident Spain would place a follow-on order by the end of 2018 for an additional 23 TTH NH90s, bringing the total back up to 45. Spain stated in early 2023 the NH90 was "working perfectly". The
Spanish Ministry of Defence is evaluating the possibility to integrate weapons and systems to the potential NH90 HSPN for the
Spanish Navy. The decision to order the NH90 was made as part of the Nordic Standard Helicopter program along with Norway and Finland; the Swedish version is the High Cabin Variant (HCV). The NH90 is known as the
Helikopter 14 (Hkp 14) in Swedish service, the
FOC version of TTT/SAR are designated Hkp 14E and the FOC version of SAR/ASW are designated Hkp 14F. Swedish Hkp 14 are used for antisubmarine operations, troop transport, search and rescue, and medical evacuations. Sweden did not expect its NH90s to be operational until 2020 and ordered 15 UH-60M Black Hawks in 2011, deploying four of its new Black Hawks to Afghanistan in March 2013. In December 2015, the first Swedish NH90 in a full ASW configuration was delivered. On 1 November 2022, the Swedish Supreme Commander, General Michael Byden, announced that Sweden's NH90s will be replaced with S-70 (H-60) variants and a yet-to-be-determined type. In December 2023, Sweden finished upgrades on the SAR version of its NH90 fleet. ==Order campaigns==