AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the Italian Navy has taken delivery of its first NH90 NFH helicopter. The Italian Navy has ordered a total of 56 NH90s (46 NFH and 10 TTH units) which will replace old helicopters for a variety of roles including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and utility. The NH90 NFH will give the Italian Navy a major increase in operational capability and mission effectiveness due to its outstanding technology and performance. This achievement is also the result of the strong cooperation with the Italian Ministry of Defence in the development of the NFH variant for the Italian Navy. The Italian Navy is the second customer to receive the NH90 in Italy, following the Italian Army which has a total of 60 NH90 TTH helicopters on order. Italy is one of the nations selecting the NFH variant together with The Netherlands, Norway, France and Belgium. A total of 111 NH90 NFH naval helicopters have been ordered by these nations.

The NH90 NFH variant is primarily designed for autonomous and joint Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti Surface Warfare (ASuW) missions. The comprehensive mission equipment packages allow a wide range of additional missions to be performed including Search and Rescue (SAR), maritime patrol, vertical replenishment, troop transport, medical evacuation and amphibious support roles. The helicopter is designed for day and night operations in adverse weather conditions from the decks of ships. Because of its optimal weight and dimensions, the deck-lock system, the deck traversing system and the automatic blade and tail folding system, it can operate from small frigates even in high sea states.

Agusta Westland press release