On Monday, November 3, 2025, the European consortium NHIndustries (NHI) reported that it had reached a legal settlement with the Norwegian government concerning the early withdrawal from service of fourteen NH90 NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter) aircraft operated by the Royal Norwegian Navy (Sjøforsvaret).
Former Norwegian NH90 NHI / Photo: Airbus Helicopters
Under the settlement, NHIndustries, together with its parent companies Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter), Leonardo (formerly AgustaWestland), and Fokker Aerostructures (formerly Stork Fokker Aerospace), will pay Norway 305 million EUR, in addition to about 70 million EUR already paid under bank guarantees. In return, Norway will return all fourteen mothballed helicopters, along with spare parts, tools, and specialized equipment, to the manufacturer.
It should be noted that on June 10, 2022, then Norwegian Minister of Defense Bjørn Arild Gram announced plans for the immediate retirement of the entire NH90 NFH fleet due to unsatisfactory operational readiness and years of delivery delays. Subsequently, the defense procurement agency (Forsvarsmateriell, FMA) informed NHIndustries that it had terminated the contract in its entirety and would seek full restitution of all funds and assets exchanged between the parties, amounting to approximately 5 billion NOK.
Norway had ordered fourteen NH90 NFH helicopters in 2001, with deliveries from Leonardo’s Italian plant in Vergiate originally planned for 2005–2008. However, deliveries did not begin until November 30, 2011, and were only completed in 2022, the same year Oslo announced the program’s cancellation. Six aircraft were configured for anti-submarine warfare to support Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates, while eight were configured for coastal patrol duties under the Coast Guard (Kystvakten), operating from Bardufoss Air Station in Troms og Finnmark County in northern Norway.
As early as 2012, due to mounting delays, Norway began an unsuccessful search for alternatives, including the MH-60R Seahawk. More than a decade later, after the termination of the NHI contract, on March 14, 2023, Minister Bjørn Arild Gram announced that the American-made Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk multirole helicopters would replace the European models.
The U.S. Department of State approved the sale of six MH-60R Seahawks on April 26, 2023, in a package including equipment and support valued at up to 1 billion USD. The Norwegian government had approved the purchase on March 14, 2023, and a production contract was signed on October 26 of the same year.
In turn, on July 11 of this year, the U.S. also approved the sale of nine HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters intended for Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) missions, in a deal worth up to 2.6 billion. USD These will complement sixteen heavier Leonardo AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters, locally designated SAR Queen.
It is not only problematic helicopters that will be replaced in Norway. On August 11 of this year, Oslo announced plans to acquire at least five British Type 26 GCS (Global Combat Ship) frigates under a program valued at 10 billion GBP, in connection with the planned retirement of four Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates, following the loss of a fifth, HNoMS Helge Ingstad (F313), in an accident on November 8, 2018.
Beyond Norway, several other countries have also decided to accelerate the retirement of their NH90 fleets due to delays or operational issues: Australia (42 MRH-90 Taipan, to be replaced by 40 UH-60M Black Hawks), Belgium (7 NH90 TTH and NFH, to be replaced by Airbus H145M), and Sweden (18 Hkp 14E/F, to be replaced by 12 UH-60M).
SETTLEMENT CONCERNING THE NORWEGIAN NH90 PROGRAM
The Norwegian Government and NHIndustries SAS (with parent companies) have reached an amicable settlement by which all disputes between the parties relating to the Norwegian NH90 program are resolved.https://t.co/7rqWLESj3a
— NHIndustries (@NHIndustriesSAS) November 3, 2025