Twenty-five years after the maiden flight of its first prototype, the NH90 continues to enjoy significant industrial and operational success. With 444 aircraft currently operating in 13 countries, it proves its worth in combat every day.
Each day spent in the heat and dust of the Sahel demonstrates the value of the aircraft and how valid the technical choices that inspired its original design were. On an industrial level though, in a world turned upside down by the COVID-19 crisis, another battle is being fought.
2020: a year marked by COVID-19
“The NH90 assembly line in Marignane was only shut down for two weeks last year, just enough time to implement protective health measures that would ensure a safe working environment,” stated Nathalie Tarnaud-Laude, Head of the NH90 programme at Airbus Helicopters and President of NHI since 2019. “We quickly made up for those two weeks, as did the other Italian and German assembly lines, and delivered 28 aircraft last year, in line