Much of the German army's NH90 helicopters grounded

(B2) A good number of German NH90 helicopters could be grounded due to technical problems with the tail rotor

All machines must be checked, especially the tail rotor blades which are defective. If necessary, they will be replaced, indicates the Bundeswehr in a communicated released Wednesday (October 16). A verification made at the request of the manufacturer Airbus Helicopters. « Bundeswehr and industry working together on solution » we say in Berlin. With an important nuance: only aircraft delivered before 2018 are affected, helicopters delivered after 2018 do not need to be inspected or modified because a new component has already been installed here.

Of the approximately 70 helicopters available to the Germans, well over half of the helicopters are affected, and can currently only be used in a limited way, according to our colleague in Berlin Thomas Wiegold d'Augengeradeaus. The incident indeed limits the material readiness of the NH-90 in the coming weeks, according to our German colleague.

The Bundeswehr, however, stressed that the technical problems do not affect the current operational readiness, because " the NH-90 is currently deployed and scheduled for overseas deployment ". " Overall, the flight operations of the NH-90 fleet are not at risk »

(NGV)