Ministry of Defense of Qatar Orders 28 NHIndustries NH90 Multirole Military Helicopters

Leonardo and Airbus will deliver 16 NH90 tactical transport helicopters (TTHs) and NATO frigate helicopters (NFHs) for land operations, 12 NH90 NFH for naval missions, and a comprehensive support, maintenance, and training services package and associated infrastructure.

August 21, 2018

Courtney E. Howard

Leonardo, a high-tech aerospace, defense, and security company in Rome, will deliver 28 NH90 medium, twin-engine, multirole military helicopters valued at more than €3 billion to the Ministry of Defense of Qatar, which made an advance payment for the order now booked in the manufacturer’s backlog. NHIndustries – which is owned by Leonardo, Airbus, and Fokker – in Aix-en-Provence, France, manages the program, whereas Leonardo serves as overall prime contractor.

The program includes 16 NH90 tactical troop transport (TTH) and NATO frigate helicopter (NFH) for land operations, 12 NH90 NFH for naval missions, and a comprehensive support, maintenance, and training services package and associated infrastructure. The program could be extended in the future with the addition of 6 + 6 units in a mix of TTH and NFH variants.

Leonardo will be also responsible for the final assembly and delivery of the 12 NH90 NFH helicopters from its Venice – Tessera facility in Northern Italy and an eight-year support 2 and training services package for crews and maintenance technicians.

Airbus will be responsible for the final assembly of the 16 NH90 TTH aircraft. Deliveries are expected to start before June 2022 and to continue through 2025. Leonardo will also supply, contribute to, and integrate various equipment, avionics, and sensors.

Leonardo is responsible for or contributes to the design, production, and integration of a wide range of NH90 critical components and systems, including: the rear fuselage, main gearbox, hydraulic system, Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS), plant management system, NFH mission system, power plant integration, and final assembly of TTH and NFH aircraft for various customers at its Venice - Tessera facility in Northern Italy. Leonardo also integrates additional dedicated systems, avionics, and sensors, such as the Laser Obstacle Avoidance Monitoring (LOAM) system, radar, digital map generator, sonar and naval mission console. Weapon systems Leonardo contributes comprise pintle-mounted, gatling-type guns, torpedoes, and air-to-surface missiles for anti-surface warfare (ASuW) missions.

The NH90 military helicopter features a composite airframe with a large cabin, excellent power-to-weight ratio, and wide range of role equipment, officials say. Its quadraplex fly-by-wire flight control system enables reduced pilot workload and enhanced flight handling.

The NH90 is available in two main variants: the NH90 NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) dedicated to naval operations, and the Tactical Transport Helicopter (TTH) for land-based operations. As of today, more than 350 helicopters have been delivered in NFH and TTH variants to customers in 13 nations. Aircraft in service have logged nearly 180,000 flight hours in a wide range of weather and environmental conditions, over land and sea. Customers worldwide have ordered 543 NH90s to date.

“We continue to be fully focused on executing our Industrial Plan aimed at ensuring long-term sustainable growth for the Group, also strengthening our commercial approach,” Leonardo CEO Alessandro Profumo says.

Officials released revised guidance for the full year, which reflects higher order intake and free operating cash flow (FOCF) figures, expected NH90 Qatar contract effectiveness, and potential for certain export campaigns.

2018 Guidance

New Orders (€bn.) 14.0 – 14.5

Revenues (€bn) 11.5 – 12.0

EBITA (€mln) 1,075 – 1,125

FOCF (€mln) 300 – 350

Group Net Debt (€bn) ca. 2.4

Exchange rate assumptions €/USD 1.20 and €/GBP 0.90

Safran , an international high-technology group operating in the aircraft propulsion and equipment, space, and defense markets, in Paris contributes various avionics and electronics to the NH90 rotory-wing aircraft platform, including the Euroflir 410 electro-optical system, Sigma 95L inertial navigation system, flight controls, RTM322 engine, and more.

Leonardo, a global player in aerospace, defense, and security and Italy’s main industrial company, is organized into seven business divisions: Helicopters; Aircraft; Aero-structures; Airborne & Space Systems; Land & Naval Defence Electronics; Defence Systems; and Security & Information Systems. In 2017, Leonardo recorded consolidated restated revenues of 11.7 billion Euros and has an industrial presence in Italy, the U.K., the U.S., and Poland.

Courtney E. Howard is editorial director and content strategist at SAE International, Aerospace Products Group. Contact her by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..