The 18th and final version of the Swedish NH90 military helicopter has been delivered to the armed forces of the Scandinavian country. During a ceremony at Airbus Helicopters in Marignane, France, the naval version of the Helikopter 14 (HKP 14) – as the designation goes in Swedish service – was shown to guests.
The naval version – equipped to deploy for tasks ranging from search and rescue to submarine hunting – is expected at Ronneby Airbase in Southern Sweden in 2025, after the final tests in France have been completed.
Celebration with mixed feelings
The delivery celebration is one with mixed feelings. The 18 machines ordered by Sweden were already delivered by 2019, but have been underperforming ever since. That is why upgrades were put in place. However, in May 2023 the Swedish Armed Forces said they would really like to ditch the weapon system as a whole, but apparently have worked out some sort of agreement with manufacturer Airbus Helicopters. | © 2024 Marcel Burger, nordicreporter.com. Featured photo: the naval HKP 14 of the Swedish Armed Forces (Press photo: Lasse Jansson/Försvarsmakten)