Finnish military finally receives its first NH90 helicopters

The Finnish Defence Forces are finally scheduled to get the new tactical transport helicopters as part of their daily operations in 2010.
      The first two NH90 helicopters were handed over to the military on Wednesday, but because of the personnel training requirements involved in changeover the aircraft will only be fully operational after about a year and a half.
      The last NH90 helicopters assembled by the Patria Group will be delivered to the army in 2011. The Utti Helicopter Battalion will receive 20 NH90 choppers in all in the tactical troop transport configuration.
     
The NH90s will replace the FDF's old Russian-made Mi-8 transport helicopters. The aircraft and their service organisation come with a price tag of around EUR 530 million.
      The Commander of the Army, Major-General Ilkka Aspara, who took delivery of the choppers, was in festive mood on Wednesday. In his words the land forces are now moving into a new era.
      “Once the entire fleet is operational, we will have more capacity, more resources, and greater efficiency”, Aspara explains.
     
Originally the first choppers were scheduled to arrive back in 2004, but the development work and getting type-approval for the aircraft took a great deal longer than expected.
      According to Gala Gonçalves, General Manager of NHIndustries, the European consortium responsible of the design of the choppers, the main reason for the delay was in getting the modern helicopter type-approved by the authorities in various countries.
      Finland is one of the first countries to deploy the NH90 helicopters. In all, NHIndustries have sold 507 choppers to different countries, only 19 of which have so far been delivered.
      “We underestimated how much the NH90's enormous commercial success and the designing of 24 national versions would increase the workload”, Gonçalves says.
     
The choppers introduced on Wednesday are still stripped models, without for example the authorities’ radio or the automatic warning system for technical malfunctions.
      According to Anssi Vuolle, the commander of the Helicopter Battalion, however, the aircraft is 98 per cent ready to go. If the time schedule holds, all the 20 aircraft ordered should have the designated equipment and be operational by 2012.
      The next step for the Defence Forces is a human resources one: to start training the pilots and service personnel. So far, there is only one pilot in Finland who is qualified to operate an NH90, with around 100 hours at the controls.
      On Wednesday, test pilot Tomi Tuomisalo took the helicopter for a spin in front of a sizeable guest audience.
      “It is good to fly”, Tuomisalo enthused.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finland to get EUR 16 million for delay in production of helicopters (14.12.2006)
  Delay of more than two years in delivery of transport helicopters (27.10.2006)
  One-year delay expected in delivery of NH-90 transport helicopters (2.2.2005)
  Defence Ministry reaches agreement with manufacturer on helicopter deliveries (13.12.2007)
  Finland looking into alternatives for delayed transport helicopters (9.11.2007)
  COMMENTARY: No end in sight for Defence Forces´ helicopter fiasco (4.9.2007)
  Finland and Norway choose NH-90 helicopter (14.9.2001)

Links:
  Finnish Defence Forces: Utti Jaeger Regiment
  NH Industries
  NHIndustries: NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopter