German contract for 31 Airbus Sea Tigers

On 19 November 2020, the German parliament approved a 2.3 billion euro contract for the purchase of 31 Airbus Helicopter Sea Tiger helicopters for the German Navy.

The Sea Tiger will replace the current fleet of 22 Super Lynx Mk88As which are currently active in the anti-submarine- and anti-surface warfare role. To serve this task, the NH90 Sea Tiger, also known as NH90-MRFH, can be equipped with missiles, torpedoes and/or machine-guns.

Delivery of the first helicopters will start in 2024. In total thirty Sea Tigers will be operated by Marinefliegergeschwader 5 (MFG5) at Fliegerhorst Nordholz and one Sea Tiger will be used with the Wehrtechnische Dienststelle für Luftfahrzeuge 61 (WTD61) at Manching/Ingolstadt.

The German Navy evaluated the AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat and the Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk before selecting the NH90-MRFH Sea Tiger as the best candidate. Al candidates have met the requirements, but with the logistics, training and infrastructure already in place for the NH90, this helicopter proved to be the candidate as the best option.

Photo: Flug Revue