The Norwegian government has finally decided to terminate the decade-old contract with a European producer of a seriously troubled NH90 helicopter, following serious delivery delays and operational problems. .. However, producer NH industries claims that Norway was unable to break the contract and was “extremely disappointed” with the Norwegian Pentagon.
France’s NH industries, which produced helicopters in collaboration with Italian partner Leonardo Helicopter, also rejected Norwegian complaints about the NH90 helicopter and its company, claiming it had no legal basis. This suggests that the proceedings are imminent after a long history of trouble with the helicopter that Norway is currently planning to return to NH industries.
Norwegian defense officials do not receive delivery of the last 14 helicopters ordered 21 years ago, return 13 other helicopters and related equipment, and demand a refund of approximately 5 billion Norwegian krone. (Norwegian paid all about US $ 531 million plus interest and fees. NHindustries seems poised to reject this claim.
The NH90 was developed through the NHindustries Consortium in four European countries and is designed to carry up to 16 passengers. Norway wanted to use them for search and rescue operations, fishery surveillance, and loading new frigates, but this too was delayed and faced with problems.
They were first ordered during the 2000-2001 Labor Party administration, and then Defense Minister Bjorn Torre Godal expected to choose a helicopter with known technology for use with the Norwegian Coast Guard and frigate ships. It was done. Instead, Godal staff chose 14 of the new NH90 “multipurpose” helicopters of the time, still under development.
It took 19 years for the first nine helicopters to be delivered And there are currently 13 fleets in Norway. But all of them need what defense officials claim to be “a lot of work” with high costs associated with the necessary upgrades to systems that are currently too old.
Defense Minister Bjorn Alald Gram said at a press conference on Friday morning that he “had a thorough assessment of whether the NH90 could actually be put into operation.” “The conclusion is negative. In terms of delivery time, investing in alternative helicopter capacity is probably more reasonable.”
Defense Secretary and General Eirik Christophersen supports the government’s decision to move away from the long-problematic NH90 project. “We were simply delivered a helicopter that didn’t work as it should,” said Christophersen.
NHindustries denies it, claiming that the company did not have the opportunity to discuss proposals to improve Norway’s NH90, or to address Norway’s demands. The company claimed that the 14th helicopter was ready for approval. This means that the “major part” of the first contract with Norway has been largely fulfilled.
There is no doubt that the delivery of NH90 was chronically delayed. The first helicopters are scheduled for 2005 and all will be deployed by 2008. Instead, the first NH90 helicopter did not arrive until 2011 and was not in operation until 2017. State broadcaster NRK.
“Internal problems”
Former conservative-led government defense minister Frank Bake Jensen called the NH90’s order a “catastrophic project,” but some Norwegian officers and defense officials said helicopter issues were a supplier. It claims that it is not just related. ..Lack of coordination between the Pentagon and various agencies within the ministry also caused operational problems, Tall Bjornbongo, the federal leader on behalf of the officers. (Norges Offisers-og Spesialistforbund), I told NRK.
Bongo was frustrated on Friday claiming that his employee organization had not had the opportunity to comment on the fate of the helicopter. He was always skeptical of breaking the contract. Because, in either organization or coordination, “we are not doing enough of our work.”
“There are a lot of different players in the picture,” he told NRK. “For example, you can’t expect to have spare parts unless no one has ordered or empowered them to pay for them.” Bongo said the Pentagon’s “internal problems” were unfortunate. I think the helicopter is finally starting to work. “We criticize that we didn’t have the opportunity to submit it to the government.”
NH90 helicopter trading has already been criticized Norwegian State Auditor (Riksrevisjonen), And the Norwegian Parliament held a hearing on all difficulties three years ago. For the past two decades, neither Godal nor his successor, the Defense Minister, have acknowledged the accusations at these hearings, but the Pentagon has so far been stuck in a helicopter.
The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) reported on Friday that the government is considering leasing another helicopter to replace the NH90, perhaps from NATO’s allies. This will ultimately make helicopter services available to Norwegian Coast Guard vessels and frigates. This is because it can take at least 5 years to order and deliver a new helicopter.
NHindustries (NHI) describes it as a French SAS company founded in 1992, based in Aix-en-Provence. Fully owned by Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo Helicopters and Fokker, it is at the heart of the NH90 program. NHI reports that it controlled the entry into the design, development and service of NH90 for both NAHEMA (NATO Helicopter Administration) and export customers from New Zealand to Norway.
Court battles are now likely, with both NH industries and Norway claiming that the law is on their side. Meanwhile, the Norwegian State Department of Audit argued that the Norwegian Department of Defense had to take responsibility as early as four years ago. “Suppliers have a great deal of responsibility for delays, but the Pentagon, Pentagon (Administration), and Pentagon haven’t fully followed up on the acquisition,” the auditor wrote in 2018.
At a press conference on Friday, both the Minister of Defense and the Secretary of Defense praised all Norwegians involved in the NH90 helicopter.
newsinenglish.no/Nina Berglund
