Image source: topwar.ru
NH90 TTH Belgian Air Force
The NH90 helicopters, developed by the Franco-German Eurocopter consortium, turned out to be one of the most unsuccessful machines in the global aircraft industry.
A total of 515 copies of this model have been produced since 1995 for the military needs of 14 countries. However, the constant problems accompanying the operation of helicopters lead to their decommissioning. Norway was the first operator to abandon the operation of NH90. In 2023, Australia joined it, cutting up and burying cars 10 years before the end of their life cycle. Now it's Belgium's turn.
The Government of the country has issued approval for the purchase of 15 Airbus H145M for the needs of the Ministry of Defense (and two more for the police) with the completion of delivery in 2027.
The H145M is equipped with two Safran Arriel 2E engines, a full digital engine control system (FADEC), a Helionix digital avionics complex with a four-axis autopilot, "which significantly reduces the workload of the pilot." According to the manufacturer, the machine has a particularly low acoustic footprint, so it can be considered "the quietest helicopter in its class."
Image source: topwar.ru
H145M
- the Infodefensa publication says.
As indicated, in mid-2020, it turned out that the Belgian Ministry of Defense decided to stop operating the NH90 TTH fleet (the "tactical transport" version), consisting of 4 units, and was considering what to do with them, due to "limited operational deployment due to lack of industrial support." Problems were predicted to increase in the coming years due to the need for very expensive upgrades and staff shortages.
