Sweden has announced that it will gradually retire 9 of the 18 NH90 helicopters in its inventory starting in 2027…
The main reasons for the decision are cited as the NH90 helicopters’ long-standing low availability rates, as well as high maintenance and operating costs.
For Sweden, the flight-hour cost of the NH90 helicopter is approximately 200,000 Swedish kronor, while the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter has a flight-hour cost of 40,000 Swedish kronor.
Sweden has decided to expand its UH-60M Black Hawk fleet to replace the NH90 TTH platforms, procuring 12 additional UH-60Ms and increasing the total number of Black Hawks to 27, including the 15 previously ordered.
Sweden operates a total of 18 NH90 helicopters, consisting of 9 HKP 14E and 9 HKP 14F helicopters.
The HKP 14E is used for tactical transport, SAR and MEDEVAC missions, while the HKP 14F is primarily used for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and maritime SAR missions…