New Zealand has awarded NH Industries a contract to deliver hardware and software upgrades for the air force’s NH90 helicopters.
The deal is under Wellington’s Operational and Regulatory Aviation Compliance Sustainment (ORACS) project, which incorporates a series of modernization efforts to update capabilities for current and future aerial domains.
ORACS will focus on integrating new navigation systems into the NH90 fleet according to the country’s updated Civil Aviation Authority requirements.
It will also modify the platform’s encrypted radio communication for enhanced connectivity on missions.
NH Industries will cover all eight NH90 aircraft that have been fully operational under the Royal New Zealand Air Force No. 3 Squadron since 2015 from Base Ohakea.
Associated works will be facilitated in-country and run until 2030.
“New Zealand is the first country which uses the NH90 helicopter that will undertake the work to retrofit the navigation system and upgrade the secure communication system,” New Zealand Defence Ministry Integrated Project Team Leader Frank Dyer stated.
“We’ll also be working with sub-contractor Airbus Australia Pacific who will test and qualify the upgrade using the NH90 software test rig located in Brisbane, Australia.”
The NH90 Helicopter
The 19.6-meter (64-foot) NH90 helicopter has a rotor diameter of 16.3 meters (53 feet) and a weight of 11,000 kilograms (24,250 pounds).
It is powered by twin Rolls-Royce Turbomecca engines with 2,227 horsepower each for a range of 380 nautical miles (437 miles/704 kilometers), a speed of 285 kilometers (177 miles) per hour, and a four-hour endurance capability.
The platform can carry up to 18 personnel, is protected by ballistic armor and an electronic warfare system, and is armed with mounted automatic machine guns.
New Zealand uses NH90s for tactical air mobility deployments, personnel transport, casualty evacuations, and equipment logistics.
Additionally, the helicopters fly for police operations assistance, search and rescue, and counter-terrorism response.
