Print Friendly, PDF & Email

As the Navy announced today, the selection decision was made for the NH90 NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) as the successor to the German Navy's Sea Lynx Mk 88A on-board helicopter.

A corresponding proposal was approved on July 29 by Vice Admiral Joachim Rühle, deputy inspector general of the Bundeswehr. According to the report, the Federal Ministry of Defense has been preparing this decision since the end of 2018 with the support of the Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw).

The Navy Inspector, Vice Admiral Andreas Krause, welcomes them“good decision” on Twitter.

The name of the new on-board helicopter is “Multirole Frigate Helicopter” (MRFH) as a German version of the NH90 NATO Frigate Helicopter (NH90 NFH). It will have essential similarities with the French variant NFH (NFRS) Caiman (pictured). In addition to Italy and France, the NFH already flies for the Belgian, Italian, Dutch and Norwegian naval forces.

Ein Firmensprecher von Airbus Helicopters begrüßte diese Auswahlentscheidung und erklärte, dass dem Unternehmen in diesem Stadium noch keine vollständigen Informationen zum Anforderungsprofil vorliegen würden. Daher kann zur finalen Auslegung des Luftfahrzeugs noch keine Aussage gemacht werden. Fest steht jedoch, dass der MRFH auf der Grundlage des NH90 Sea Lion entwickelt und konfiguriert wird.

The NH90 was originally designed at the request of European nations as a basic helicopter that has a modular design and is offered in Tactical Transport Helicopter (TTH) and NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) versions. Both helicopter versions are basically technologically identical, but differ greatly in their mission equipment. The NH90 NFH also serves as the basis for the Sea Lion, successor to the Sea King.

According to the Navy, on-board helicopters are an integral part of the “frigate system”. Equipped, for example, with sonar, radar and torpedoes, they are essential sensor and weapon carriers against sea targets above and below water. They can also flexibly support maritime operations through transport and rescue missions.

The next milestone in the MRFH procurement process is parliamentary approval, which is expected in 2020. A total of 31 “Sea Tigers” are to be procured, of which 30 aircraft would be available to the naval aviation and one to the WTD.

Demands on the successor

Based on the capability profile of the Sea Lynx currently in use, it is very likely that the successor models will be primarily capable of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and surface warfare (ASuW). There may also be tasks such as Search and Rescue (SAR) and the transport of people and material.

In order to detect and combat submarines, the helicopters must have the appropriate technical equipment. This includes, among other things, a powerful radar that can detect a snorkel or periscope that protrudes just a few centimeters above the water surface. For underwater tracking, active and passive diving sonars are used, which are lowered into the sea on a cable. Marine helicopters are sometimes also equipped with sonobuoys for dropping, which require space in the helicopter cell.

After the discovery of a submarine, the helicopters should also be able to initiate combat. For this purpose, the Navy primarily uses torpedoes, of which there are often two on board the machine. The more payload reserves there are, the more equipment a helicopter can carry. With a unit weight of around 300 kg per torpedo, this is an important point.

Hangar challenge

Only the Class 124 and 125 frigates and the future MKS 180 of the German Navy are designed with landing decks and hangars to accommodate up to two helicopters of the size of an NH90. However, on the F124 the hangar doors would have to be adjusted. The Class 123 frigates, on the other hand, cannot accommodate on-board helicopters of this size; the hangar is too small for that. As a result, the Class 123 frigates would, as things currently stand, have to do without an on-board helicopter until the end of their service life (2030s).

Waldemar Geiger and Lars Hoffmann