Germany to receive first NH90 Sea Tiger anti-submarine helicopter by the end of 2025
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
Germany is set to receive its first NH90 Sea Tiger anti-submarine warfare helicopter by the end of 2025, marking the beginning of deliveries for a 31-aircraft order under the Multi-Role Frigate Helicopter (MRFH) program.
On October 21, 2025, Gareth Jennings indicated that the German Navy will receive its first NH90 Sea Tiger anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter by the end of 2025, with the remainder to follow over the next five to six years. The NH90 Sea Tiger, for which 31 units were ordered under the Multi-Role Frigate Helicopter (MRFH) program, will operate from Sachsen- and Baden-Württemberg-class frigates. The new helicopter will also replace the Westland Sea Lynx Mk88A fleet and standardize the German Navy’s shipborne helicopter operations across anti-submarine and anti-surface (ASuW) warfare operations.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The integrated systems on the NH90 Sea Tiger allow for simultaneous sonar operation, radar surface scanning, and electronic support measures within a single sortie, providing a unified tactical picture to the crew. (Picture source: Airbus)
The Sea Tiger’s missions are centered on anti-submarine (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASuW), as opposed to the NH90 Sea Lion (already in service with Germany), which remains primarily a multi-role transport and search and rescue helicopter. Therefore, the Sea Tiger integrates Thales’s FLASH SONICS dipping sonar combined with a deployment system for active and passive sonobuoys to detect, identify, and track underwater contacts. The system architecture enables automatic acoustic data processing and link transmission to command centers via Link 11 and Link 16 networks. The helicopter is designed to carry MU90 lightweight torpedoes or similar weapons for submarine engagement, as well as the MBDA Marte ER anti-ship missile to neutralize surface targets. The flight control and avionics suite employs full fly-by-wire technology, reducing pilot workload while improving precision in maritime hovering and low-altitude flight.
An eight-week test campaign conducted from February to April 2024 at Airbus Helicopters’ Marignane facility marked a major step toward the Sea Tiger’s qualification. This campaign employed the first production aircraft in full German Navy configuration. Engineers focused on verifying sonar integration, communications with torpedo interfaces, and flight performance under maritime conditions. The Mediterranean test zone was chosen for its depth, allowing realistic sonar trials. Flight tests with inert torpedoes validated weapon communication links and structural response under load. Captive-carry trials confirmed the helicopter’s maneuvering and flight envelope with external stores. The results demonstrated proper mission system coordination between sensors, displays, and control interfaces. The campaign also included preliminary MBDA Marte ER integration checks, extending the helicopter’s dual-role capability for ASW and ASuW missions.
The testing phase featured close cooperation between Airbus Helicopters and the German Navy. An Airbus pilot conducted flight operations while a German Navy observer occupied the copilot seat, replicating operational crew coordination. Inside the mission cabin, each of the two consoles was jointly operated by Airbus and German personnel to validate data workflows and user interface responses. German technicians worked alongside their French counterparts for daily aircraft preparation and post-flight diagnostics. Representatives from the French and Italian navies attended several sorties to observe cross-program performance for their respective NH90 variants. Approximately 50 flight hours were completed, staying within the initial schedule set in September 2023. The helicopter’s availability rate during the campaign enabled uninterrupted test progression without delay.
Following the Marignane campaign, a second phase began at the German Navy’s Nordholz Air Base from June to mid-August 2024. This operational demonstration replicated a complete mission cycle, including takeoff, transit, sonar deployment, simulated torpedo launch, and return-to-base recovery. The test also simulated the employment of the Marte ER missile, verifying targeting, navigation, and release logic under realistic flight conditions. The Nordholz trials assessed sensor fusion and acoustic-to-weapon system timing across the full operational profile. The tests served as the final validation before operational certification and initial delivery. The demonstration emphasized the aircraft’s integration within shipboard combat systems and interoperability with NATO maritime assets. With the successful completion of these activities, the program remains on track for the delivery of the first aircraft by late 2025 and for sequential handovers through the early 2030s.
The NH90 Sea Tiger is a twin-engine, fly-by-wire maritime helicopter built around a composite structure for reduced weight, radar cross-section, and corrosion susceptibility. It measures approximately 16.13 meters in length and has a main rotor diameter of 16.3 meters. The aircraft’s maximum takeoff weight is about 10,600 kilograms, with an empty weight near 6,400 kilograms. Power is supplied by two General Electric CT7-8E turboshaft engines rated at 1,845 kilowatts each, or alternatively by Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 engines producing 1,802 kilowatts. The NH90 Sea Tiger can achieve a maximum speed of 300 kilometers per hour, with an operational range of around 1,000 kilometers and an endurance of up to five hours. Service ceiling reaches 6,000 meters, and the climb rate is approximately eight meters per second. The aircraft can carry two door-mounted machine guns for close defense and supports torpedoes, depth charges, and anti-ship missiles for combat operations.
Additionally, it is worth remembering that the NH90 program, managed by NHIndustries, is a multinational cooperative initiative between Airbus Helicopters (France and Germany), Leonardo (Italy), and Fokker Aerostructures (Netherlands). More than 500 NH90s have been delivered to 14 countries, produced in multiple variants, including the TTH for land use and NFH for naval use. The Sea Tiger evolves directly from the NFH baseline, adding updated ASW electronics, improved maritime radar, and a strengthened undercarriage for shipboard operations. The airframe incorporates a folding tail and rotor system, corrosion protection, and a Harpoon deck-lock mechanism for landing on moving vessels in high sea states. The Sea Tiger also employs composite rotor blades designed for fatigue resistance and longer life cycles. Its avionics suite is compatible with Thales TopOwl helmet-mounted displays, advanced digital maps, and tactical data management systems for networked operations.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
Germany is set to receive its first NH90 Sea Tiger anti-submarine warfare helicopter by the end of 2025, marking the beginning of deliveries for a 31-aircraft order under the Multi-Role Frigate Helicopter (MRFH) program.
On October 21, 2025, Gareth Jennings indicated that the German Navy will receive its first NH90 Sea Tiger anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter by the end of 2025, with the remainder to follow over the next five to six years. The NH90 Sea Tiger, for which 31 units were ordered under the Multi-Role Frigate Helicopter (MRFH) program, will operate from Sachsen- and Baden-Württemberg-class frigates. The new helicopter will also replace the Westland Sea Lynx Mk88A fleet and standardize the German Navy’s shipborne helicopter operations across anti-submarine and anti-surface (ASuW) warfare operations.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The integrated systems on the NH90 Sea Tiger allow for simultaneous sonar operation, radar surface scanning, and electronic support measures within a single sortie, providing a unified tactical picture to the crew. (Picture source: Airbus)
The Sea Tiger’s missions are centered on anti-submarine (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASuW), as opposed to the NH90 Sea Lion (already in service with Germany), which remains primarily a multi-role transport and search and rescue helicopter. Therefore, the Sea Tiger integrates Thales’s FLASH SONICS dipping sonar combined with a deployment system for active and passive sonobuoys to detect, identify, and track underwater contacts. The system architecture enables automatic acoustic data processing and link transmission to command centers via Link 11 and Link 16 networks. The helicopter is designed to carry MU90 lightweight torpedoes or similar weapons for submarine engagement, as well as the MBDA Marte ER anti-ship missile to neutralize surface targets. The flight control and avionics suite employs full fly-by-wire technology, reducing pilot workload while improving precision in maritime hovering and low-altitude flight.
An eight-week test campaign conducted from February to April 2024 at Airbus Helicopters’ Marignane facility marked a major step toward the Sea Tiger’s qualification. This campaign employed the first production aircraft in full German Navy configuration. Engineers focused on verifying sonar integration, communications with torpedo interfaces, and flight performance under maritime conditions. The Mediterranean test zone was chosen for its depth, allowing realistic sonar trials. Flight tests with inert torpedoes validated weapon communication links and structural response under load. Captive-carry trials confirmed the helicopter’s maneuvering and flight envelope with external stores. The results demonstrated proper mission system coordination between sensors, displays, and control interfaces. The campaign also included preliminary MBDA Marte ER integration checks, extending the helicopter’s dual-role capability for ASW and ASuW missions.
The testing phase featured close cooperation between Airbus Helicopters and the German Navy. An Airbus pilot conducted flight operations while a German Navy observer occupied the copilot seat, replicating operational crew coordination. Inside the mission cabin, each of the two consoles was jointly operated by Airbus and German personnel to validate data workflows and user interface responses. German technicians worked alongside their French counterparts for daily aircraft preparation and post-flight diagnostics. Representatives from the French and Italian navies attended several sorties to observe cross-program performance for their respective NH90 variants. Approximately 50 flight hours were completed, staying within the initial schedule set in September 2023. The helicopter’s availability rate during the campaign enabled uninterrupted test progression without delay.
Following the Marignane campaign, a second phase began at the German Navy’s Nordholz Air Base from June to mid-August 2024. This operational demonstration replicated a complete mission cycle, including takeoff, transit, sonar deployment, simulated torpedo launch, and return-to-base recovery. The test also simulated the employment of the Marte ER missile, verifying targeting, navigation, and release logic under realistic flight conditions. The Nordholz trials assessed sensor fusion and acoustic-to-weapon system timing across the full operational profile. The tests served as the final validation before operational certification and initial delivery. The demonstration emphasized the aircraft’s integration within shipboard combat systems and interoperability with NATO maritime assets. With the successful completion of these activities, the program remains on track for the delivery of the first aircraft by late 2025 and for sequential handovers through the early 2030s.
The NH90 Sea Tiger is a twin-engine, fly-by-wire maritime helicopter built around a composite structure for reduced weight, radar cross-section, and corrosion susceptibility. It measures approximately 16.13 meters in length and has a main rotor diameter of 16.3 meters. The aircraft’s maximum takeoff weight is about 10,600 kilograms, with an empty weight near 6,400 kilograms. Power is supplied by two General Electric CT7-8E turboshaft engines rated at 1,845 kilowatts each, or alternatively by Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 engines producing 1,802 kilowatts. The NH90 Sea Tiger can achieve a maximum speed of 300 kilometers per hour, with an operational range of around 1,000 kilometers and an endurance of up to five hours. Service ceiling reaches 6,000 meters, and the climb rate is approximately eight meters per second. The aircraft can carry two door-mounted machine guns for close defense and supports torpedoes, depth charges, and anti-ship missiles for combat operations.
Additionally, it is worth remembering that the NH90 program, managed by NHIndustries, is a multinational cooperative initiative between Airbus Helicopters (France and Germany), Leonardo (Italy), and Fokker Aerostructures (Netherlands). More than 500 NH90s have been delivered to 14 countries, produced in multiple variants, including the TTH for land use and NFH for naval use. The Sea Tiger evolves directly from the NFH baseline, adding updated ASW electronics, improved maritime radar, and a strengthened undercarriage for shipboard operations. The airframe incorporates a folding tail and rotor system, corrosion protection, and a Harpoon deck-lock mechanism for landing on moving vessels in high sea states. The Sea Tiger also employs composite rotor blades designed for fatigue resistance and longer life cycles. Its avionics suite is compatible with Thales TopOwl helmet-mounted displays, advanced digital maps, and tactical data management systems for networked operations.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
