NHIndustries is exhibiting at the World Defense Show, which takes place from the 4th to the 8th of February in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The show is one of the most important Aerospace and Defense gatherings in the Middle East, and NHI displayed an NH90 helicopter in its naval version – NFH – currently in operation by the Qatar Emiri Air Force, which is also operating the terrestrial variant – TTH.
The NH90’s NFH version is a ship-based compact maritime helicopter designed and built through the collaboration of its Partner Companies Airbus, Fokker and Leonardo – featuring advanced capabilities which are crucial in the evolving maritime operational domain and scenarios. Operating from shore or warships in all conditions, the helicopter is tailored for full capability in both anti-submarine (ASW) and anti-surface (ASuW) warfare.
Thanks to its cabin size and modularity of the equipment, search and rescue operations can be performed in either of these configurations. Complementary roles at which NFH is extremely effective include maritime surveillance and control, airborne early warning, logistic transport and utility support, vertical replenishment (VERTREP), casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) and special operations (Special Ops / SOF) – including counter terrorism and anti-piracy.
Since December 2021 the QEAF has received 17 helicopters of both variants built in the final assembly lines of Airbus (TTH version) and Leonardo (NFH version).
The Qatari fleet has already flown over 2,500 flight hours with an average serviceability above 80%. This has been made possible also by a strategic cooperation with Leonardo directly involved in providing training and supporting maintenance operations in country.
Umair Aslam is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Global Defense Insight. He has worked as a defense journalist reporting on military modernization programs, defense industry, arms procurement, and emerging technologies.
