Royal Netherlands Navy tests NH90 helicopter and Holland class OPV in bad weather

Royal Netherlands Navy crews of the NH90 helicopter and HNLMS Holland Offshore Patrol Vessel conducted deck landings with winds up to Force 8 and waves up to 4 meters high last week in the North Sea.

The tests are being conducted to determine the maximum wind limit for operating the NH90 from the Holland-class OPV.

These are needed to know how far you can go during operations in bad weather said Lieutenant Commander Chris van den Berg,

                         

Royal Netherlands Navy crews of the NH90 helicopter and HNLMS Holland Offshore Patrol Vessel conducted deck landings with winds up to Force 8 and waves up to 4 meters high last week in the North Sea.

The NH90 helicopter is firmly secured on HNLMS Holland Offshore Patrol Vessel

                         

Maximum concentration

"Each class of ships are tested and analyzed. For example, you have to deal with wind turbulence," says the ship’s commander. “And, compared to the larger vessels like air defense and command frigates, and the amphibious transport ship, the Holland-class is more susceptible to waves."

A test team from the Air Force was collecting all data for analysis. In addition, for the first time a ship controlled the helicopter’s approach. In such a case, the air controller aboard the ship uses the radar images of the NH90 to guide the helicopter when its crew has poor or no visibility.

Flying independently

Night approaches and landings were carried out autonomously by the helicopter crew using night vision googles. “Whereas last week we waved off a Lynx because it had too much cockpit lighting and was not suitable to fly with this night vision equipment, its successor will be able to operate with it. This makes faster approaches possible. You can easily fly out and land independently." Test Pilot Lieutenant First Class Job Sicking reported.

"The NH90 weighs 11 tonnes, which is 6 tonnes more than the Lynx, where a knock on the stick often enough." This is the final week of sea trials aboard the Holland-class ships. While training is slightly behind schedule pending the delivery of more NH90s, the test schedule is on track. "Only deck landings on the M-frigates and additional testing, such as hot weather conditions testing remain to be done."

Shipborne Helicopters

Earlier this year, the Royal Dutch Airforce and Navy conducted deck landings with an Apache attack helicopter on the amphibious Landing Platform Dock (LPD) HNLMS Rotterdam. Cougar transport helicopters are currently deployed on the vessel deployed on mission against piracy off the coast of Somalia.

Norway threatens to cancel NH90 helicopter order

Norway is threatening to cancel its order for NH Industries NH90 helicopters, as its frustrations mount with delivery delays.

Oslo has eight of the NH90 maritime variant on order, configured for search and rescue operations for its coastguard. Deliveries were due to have been completed six years ago, but the nation has so far received just one of the type.

The new helicopters are intended to replace the Norwegian coastguard's ageing AgustaWestland Lynx fleet, which it began retiring in 2005. At present, it has just three operational helicopters, says the Norwegian defence ministry. These were all delivered in 1981, according to Flightglobal's HeliCAS database.

But with the remainder of the NH90s no closer to being delivered, Oslo is now drawing up contingency plans.

Speaking last month on a tour with the coastguard in northern Norway, secretary of state for defence Roger Ingebrigtsen said: "NH90 is greatly delayed and I am very concerned about this situation. We therefore have to consider what the options are to ensure the coastguard has the helicopter capacity we depend on."

The defence ministry adds: "If the manufacturer doesn't manage to deliver the helicopters [to deadline] we are considering cancelling the contract.

"We are a customer and we cannot wait forever to receive our merchandise."

The defence ministry would not be drawn on the deadline it has given to NH Industries to complete the order. However, it has begun looking at alternatives to the NH90, it says, without specifying the types under consideration. "There are several helicopters on the market that are combat-proven and in use by other nations," it notes.

NH Industries was unavailable to comment.

Portugal ducks out of NH90 programme

The Portuguese Ministry of Defence has decided to suspend the country's participation in the co-operative NH90 helicopter programme and will not longer receive the 10 NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopters (TTHs) that were ordered to equip the army's light aviation unit (Unidade de Aviação Ligeira do Exército).

The cancellation will save Portugal EUR420 million (USD532 million), which is expected to be invested in other projects, although a significant amount of funding has already been invested in the NH90 programme.

The decision is a major setback for the army, which expected to have its own air mobility capability.

Portugal is currently facing a harsh economic climate that is adversely affecting the procurement of much-needed hardware for the country's armed forces. Several scheduled acquisition programmes have been cancelled, postponed or are being renegotiated. The acquisition of Pandur II 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicles for the army and navy, for example, is being renegotiated with manufacturer General Dynamics European Land Systems in order to receive fewer than the 260 planned units.