The Norwegian government has decided to stop delivering the NH90 helicopter to its armed forces and terminate the contract with the manufacturer, NATO Helicopter Industries (NHI). The flights will be stopped immediately, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense said in a statement. Commenting on the decision, Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram said: “Unfortunately, we have concluded that no matter how many hours our technicians work and how many spare parts we order, the NH90 will never be able to meet the requirements of the Norwegian Armed Forces.” >
The decision is based on a comprehensive analysis of the capabilities of Norwegian naval helicopters commissioned by the Ministry of Defense, together with the Public Procurement Office and the Norwegian Institute for Defense Research in February this year. It will not be possible to bring the performance and availability of the NH90 to the level required by Norwegian requirements.
The press release further states that the Norwegian Public Procurement Office has already informed the NHI that Norway will terminate the contract completely and demand full compensation. This means that Norway will return the helicopters it has already received, as well as spare parts and other in return, it will require the NHI to repay approximately NOK 5 billion paid under the contract plus interest and other expenses.