UNCOMMON
NH90

NHIndustries NH90

The NH90

Europe's do-everything military helicopter.

NHIndustries (Airbus/Leonardo/Fokker) · military

NO PHOTO
Length
64 ft 6 in
Wingspan
53 ft 2 in (rotor)
Max speed
162 kts
Range
530 nmi
Ceiling
19,700 ft
Engines
2x Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 turboshafts
Crew
2
Typical config
2 crew + up to 20 troops
Built
500+

The NH90 is what happens when half of Europe designs one helicopter together: a fly-by-wire, corrosion-proof, ship-capable machine that hauls troops for a dozen armies and hunts submarines for their navies. Spotting one usually means a NATO exercise is nearby.

Fun fact

It was the first production helicopter in the world with full fly-by-wire flight controls — no mechanical linkages at all.

How to spot one

Sleek composite fuselage with a high tail boom and rear ramp. Looks more sculpted than the Black Hawk it competes with — European militaries only.

Crews call it
The NH
Sounds like
A deep twin-turbine thrum with a distinctive fast rotor slap

One might be overhead right now.

Bogey turns the The NH90 from a dot in the sky into a card in your logbook. Coming to iOS and Android.

Get Bogey