Leonardo Boosts International Growth with Qatar Helicopter Deal Worth More Than €3 Bn
The overall programme is valued at more than €3 billion to the NHI consortium, and includes 16 NH90 TTH for land operations, 12 NH90 NFH for naval missions, a comprehensive support, maintenance training services package and associated infrastructure.
The programme could be further extended in the future with the addition of 6 + 6 units in a mix of TTH and NFH variants. Leonardo will act as overall prime contractor with responsibility for programme management, final assembly and delivery of the 12 NH90 NFH helicopters from its Venice–Tessera facility in Northern Italy and an eight-year support and training services package for crews and maintenance technicians. Meanwhile Airbus will be responsible for the final assembly of the16 NH90 TTH aircraft.
Deliveries are expected to start before June 2022 and to continue through to 2025. Leonardo will also supply, contribute to and integrate various equipment, avionics and sensors.
Alessandro Profumo, Leonardo Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are proud to have signed this contract that expands and continues Leonardo’s strong and long-term partnership with Qatar, to which we are delivering a wide range of the most advanced technology and customized solutions spanning the military and security domains. This contract award confirms Leonardo as a reliable partner to Qatar and marks an outstanding achievement and a new and further milestone for one of the key sectors of Leonardo. We are all strongly committed to strengthen our business approach according to our 2018-2022 Industrial Plan.”
Background notes:
-- Leonardo is responsible for, or contributes to, the design, production and integration of a wide range of NH90 critical components and systems. These include 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 to comprise pintle mounted Gatling-type guns, torpedoes and air-to-surface missiles for Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW) missions.
-- The largest military helicopter programme in Europe, the NH90 is the optimal choice for modern operations thanks to its fully composite airframe with a large cabin, its excellent power-to-weight ratio and its wide range of role equipment. It features a quadraplex fly-by-wire flight control system for reduced pilot workload and enhanced flight handling characteristics.
-- The NH90 is available in two main variants, one dedicated to naval operations, the NH90 NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter) and the TTH (Tactical Transport Helicopter) for land-based operations. As of today, almost 350 helicopters have been delivered in NFH and TTH variants to customers in 13 nations. Aircraft in service have logged nearly 170,000 flight hours in a wide range of weather and environmental conditions, over land and sea. 543 NH90s have been ordered by customers worldwide to date.
The twin-engine, medium-size NH90 helicopter programme is managed by NHIndustries, which is owned by Leonardo, Airbus, and Fokker.
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As part of the plan, Qatar will receive 16 H125 light single-engine helicopters in training configuration for operation by the Qatar Armed Forces Air Academy.(Emphasis added—Ed.)
“We are honoured to support the Qatar Armed Forces through this strategic partnership”, said Ben Bridge, Executive Vice President Global Business at Airbus Helicopters. “The NH90 is a modern and combat-proven asset that will meet Qatar’s demanding operational requirements for decades to come, both in troop transport and naval missions. Our partnership on the new training academy will also strengthen the relationship between our countries by enabling the exchange of expertise and know-how in helicopter operations,” he added.
Leonardo will act as prime contractor for the programme management with the end customer and Airbus will be responsible for the final assembly and delivery of 16 NH90 TTH aircraft from its facility in Marignane, France while Leonardo will be responsible for final assembly and delivery of the 12 NH90 NFH helicopters from its Venice–Tessera facility in Northern Italy.
The NH90 is well suited for operations in the most demanding conditions and has been combat-proven in many theatres of operation worldwide. This contract for 28 helicopters brings the total order book to 543 aircraft. To date, 350 aircraft have been delivered to 20 customers in 13 countries and have accumulated around 170,000 flight hours.
The twin-engine, medium-size NH90 helicopter program is managed by the consortium NHIndustries, a company owned by Airbus Helicopters (62.5%), Leonardo (32%), and Fokker (5.5%).
Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2017 it generated revenues of € 67 billion and employed a workforce of around 129,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world’s leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.
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