NAHEMA, NATO’s Helicopter Management Agency, has signed a contract with NHIndustries to provide three NH90 NATO Frigate Helicopters (NFH) for the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force.
Acting on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Defence, the agreement includes an option for two additional aircraft and could raise the Netherlands’ maritime NH90 inventory to a potential total of 22.
Leonardo, the parent company of NHIndustries, will assemble the three helicopters in Italy, equipping them with the Block 1/Software Release 3 (SWR3) standard.
This SWR3 upgrade brings advanced avionics such as Data Link 22 for extended-range tactical communications, a next-generation electro-optical sensor suite, improved acoustic capabilities, and broader weapons compatibility.
The Netherlands has also confirmed plans to modernize its existing NH90 fleet to match the new configuration, ensuring higher fleet availability, reduced maintenance complexity, streamlined training, and improved interoperability across NATO and European partners.
Delivery of the new helicopters is projected for around 2030.
NHIndustries stated that the procurement reaffirms the Netherlands’ long-standing commitment to the NH90 program, of which it has been a founding member since 1999.
