The French Army has recently received its last tactical transport helicopter NH90 Caiman TTH, manufactured by NH Industries. With this delivery, France completes the formation of its fleet of 63 units of this model.
The helicopter was assembled by Airbus Helicopters, a member of the NHI consortium, in Marignane, France, and was officially accepted by the General Directorate of Armament (DGA), the French defense procurement agency.
With the gradual retirement of Puma helicopters, the NH90 Caiman TTH becomes the backbone of the French Army’s tactical helicopter fleet, operating alongside the modernized models H215M Cougar and H225M Caracal.
Although this is the last delivery of the TTH (Tactical Troop Transport) variant to the French Army, the country will still receive another 18 NH90 helicopters between 2026 and 2029. These aircraft will be configured for special forces support operations and will be trained for this specific role.
Flight tests of the enhanced Standard 2 version, developed for special forces operations, began in mid-2024. Improvements include advanced sensors and the ability to install additional weaponry.
In addition to the NH90 Caiman TTH, NH Industries has also supplied France with 27 NH90 helicopters in the naval NFH version. The NH90 model was officially accepted into French service in December 2010, initially employed in search and rescue operations and maritime counterterrorism missions.
In 2012, the first NH90 NFH in the French fleet reached operational capability, and later, the helicopters in service were authorized to conduct anti-submarine warfare missions, replacing models such as the Westland Lynx and the Aérospatiale Super Frelon.
The last of the 27 NH90 NFH helicopters will be assigned to the French Navy’s 33rd Squadron, strengthening the country’s naval operations capabilities.
Sources: flightglobal, mil.in.ua. Images: Wikimedia / Flickr
