Belgium, to retire NH90 TTH fleet alleging high maintenance cost: minister

Belgium announced on July 10, 2025, its decision to retire from service its remaining four NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopters (TTH) from September 1, 2025. 

In a rather scathing post on his X account, Belgian defense minister Theo Francken, attributed the decision to the high costs associated to the operation of this helicopter type. “Bad purchase. Extremely expensive to maintain. Replacements are coming in 2026.” he said. 

Lange commissie defensie gisteren, wat je moet weten: Grootste munitieaankoop ooit. Eindelijk gedaan met stenen werpen en pang pang roepen. De 4 NH90 TTH helicopters worden vanaf september uit roulatie genomen. Slechte aankoop. Peperduur in onderhoud. De vervangers komen…— Theo Francken (@FranckenTheo) July 10, 2025While this decision concerns the four NH90 TTHs operated in land missions, the naval component of the Belgian Armed Forces will retain another four NH90, which are fitted for search and rescue and anti-submarine missions. 

The NH90 is a medium-weight helicopter developed by NHIndustries (NHI), a pan-European consortium formed in the early 1990s by Eurocopter (a Franco-German venture which is now part of Airbus Helicopters), Italian helicopter maker Agusta (the precursor to Leonardo) and Dutch aerospace firm Stork Fokker Aerospace (now Fokker Aerostructures).  

Once hailed as one of the flagship projects of the European aerospace defense industry, the NH-90 has been plagued by a series of problems which have led several operators to retire their fleets earlier than originally planned. 

In particular, the NH-90 has been criticized for its high operational costs, which may range, depending on the sources consulted, between €12,000 and €20,000 per flight hour, as well as for being an aircraft which is difficult to maintain.  

Prior to the Belgian decision, two prominent NH90 operators, Norway and Australia, had already announced their decision to withdraw their fleets from service, blaming operational unreliability and costs.  

These complaints, however, have not deterred other countries from ordering more units of the type. France, for example, placed two consecutive orders, for 10 and 8 NH90 helicopters, respectively, in 2020 and 2023. These additional helicopters are intended for use by the French Army’s special forces and will be delivered between 2027 and 2029.  

Vietnam is also reported to have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to acquire an undisclosed number of NH90 helicopters during a state visit to the country by French President Emmanuel Macron in May 2025. 

The post Belgium, to retire NH90 TTH fleet alleging high maintenance cost: minister appeared first on AeroTime.

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