Article Posted on : - Dec 12, 2011

The NH 90 NFH on deck. Photo: NHI Industries.

PARIS (BNS): The new helicopter Cayman Marine (NH90) has entered into service with the French Navy.

Chief of Staff of the French Navy, Admiral Bernard Rogel, formally marked the introduction of the helicopter at the naval aviation base Lanvéoc Poulmic on Thursday.

The French Navy will receive 27 NH90 Caimans by 2020. Five helicopters have been delivered in the Standard 1 configuration. Of the total, 13 will be fitted with a rear ramp, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

The NH90 twin-engine military transport helicopter comes in two versions. The army version - the NH 90 TTH (Tactical Transport Helicopter) and a naval version - the NH 90 NFH (Naval Frigate Helicopter).

The helicopter will perform missions such naval combat, search and rescue, medical evacuation, and maritime anti-terrorism missions. The Caiman replaces the Lynx and the Super Frelon in the French Navy inventory.

These helicopters will be based at NAS Hyères and NAS Lanveoc. They will also be embarked on French 'Forbin' and 'Aquitaine' class frigates as well as on the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and Mistral class BPCs.