Qatar Air Force receives first NH90 troop transport helicopters.

As reported by Dominic Perry in Flight Global, Qatar has received its first of 28 NH Industries NH90 helicopters from a €3 billion ($3.4 billion) contract dating from 2018, with the last helicopter planned to be delivered in 2025.

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First Qatari NH90. On 17 December 2020, this Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF, Qatar Air Force) NH90-NFH was seen during a test flight above Istrana (Italy). The main primer Naval Frigate Helicopter was already furnished with the QEAF roundel as well as the Qatari flag as well as "266" (most likely QA266) on its tail. The NFH carries CSX82012 as a test serial. (Picture source: Scramble NL)

Qatar’s NH90 programme includes 16 NH90 TTHs for land operations, 12 NH90 NFHs for naval missions, comprehensive support, maintenance & training services package and associated infrastructure. The programme has the potential to be extended in the future with the addition of 6 + 6 units in a mixture of TTH and NFH variants. Leonardo is the prime contractor for the overall programme and is also responsible for the final assembly and delivery of the 12 NH90 NFH helicopters from its Venice Tessera facility. The company is also supplying simulators, training aids and extensive maintenance support and training services package for aircrews and maintenance technicians.

Leonardo is providing, contributing to or supporting the integration of various avionics and sensor payloads, including the Leonardo LEOSS-T HD electro-optical system, HD Mission Video Recorder, Automatic Identification System, Tactical video link and Full HD display for cabin consoles. Airbus Helicopters is responsible for carrying out the final assembly of the 16 NH90 TTH aircraft. The last NH90 is planned to be delivered in 2025.