A Hellenic Army NH90 TTH helicopter fast-roping troops. Greece ordered 20 such helicopters in 2003, with deliveries running from 2011 to 2025. (Airbus Helicopters)
Greece has finalised with NHIndustries (NHI) its first national support contract for the NH90 helicopter since deliveries to the country commenced in 2011.
The consortium announced on 12 December that a five-year First Contract Follow-on Support agreement for Greece’s fleet of 20 NH90s had been signed with the country’s General Directorate for Defense Investments and Armaments (GDDIA) for EUR50 million (USD59 million).
“Over the next five years, this agreement will provide spare parts and maintenance services to significantly increase the fleet’s operational availability,” NHI chief stakeholder Airbus Helicopters said.
Greece ordered its 20 NH90 helicopters (16 in the Troop Transport Helicopter [TTH] configuration and four in the special operations configuration) in August 2003, the first of which was delivered to the Hellenic Army in June 2011. The last helicopter was recently delivered to the country, and is now undergoing final pre-acceptance work before being formally inducted into service.
National support
News of the contract came weeks after the president of NHI, Axel Aloccio, told
Janes
and other defence media that this first national support contract is part of a wider industrial ecosystem that the consortium is setting up for Greece, as the country looks to improve its poor operator experience to date – nine helicopters have been cannibalised for spare parts to keep the others in a flyable condition, and so are themselves no longer viable airframes. With this agreement and other support arrangements in place, NHI aims to have seven of the 11 non-cannibalised airframes available for operations at any time.
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