1-Aug-2014 Source: Airbus Helicopters
Members of the NH90 team in New Zealand have a lot to celebrate: They have just completed the retrofit of four NH90 TTH helicopters at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s (RNZAF) operational base in Ohakea.
The purpose of the retrofit was to upgrade the first four NH90s from initial to final configuration. The RNZAF operates a fleet of eight NH90 TTH, four of which were delivered already in the final form. With the retrofit, RNZAF’s current NH90 fleet has reached its final configuration.
The retrofit was performed between September 2013 and July 2014 at the customer’s premises and following a preparatory phase in France.
The team involved took advantage of the retrofit lay-up period to perform calendar maintenance and to retrofit some spare parts and an attrition frame.
More than 30 employees from Airbus Helicopters and partner companies, stationed at the Ohakea base, worked hand-in-hand with a network of logistical experts from Airbus Helicopters and its suppliers. The close collaboration of these teams among each other and with the customer was instrumental in completing the retrofit on time.
Similar retrofit programs are underway in other countries, with a total of 10 aircraft having already been completed. Seventeen more NH90s are currently undergoing retrofit at five different locations in France, Italy, Finland, Germany and Australia.
The NH90 retrofit program brings together specialists from different areas, such as configuration, production, engineering, procurement and support, whose transversal collaboration plays a key role in ensuring the success of the upgrades.