NHI’s NH90: Europe’s multirole helicopter strives to maintain relevance (updated 2026)
The NH90 NFH Sea Tiger for the German Navy was first delivered in December 2025. (Photo: Airbus)
Developed in response to NATO’s needs, NHIndustries’ NH90 remains a cornerstone of European and Middle Eastern fleets – with upgrades planned to extend and improve the capabilities of the versatile and capable platform.
The NH90 is a multirole helicopter, first conceived and designed as part of a multinational effort between France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands to meet NATO requirements. The company, NHIndustries (NHI), brings together Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo and GKN – the trilateral venture responsible for the NH90’s design, production and support.
The helicopter operates as one of two variants: the NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) for maritime and utility operations and the Tactical Transport Helicopter (TTH) for land-based utility and troop lift operations.
As noted on Shephard Defence Insight, the common helicopter NH90 design is a twin-engine design with four-bladed main
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