The Norwegian Ministry of Defence has decided not only to continue demanding compensation from the NH Industries manufacturer for the NH90 helicopters but has also dramatically increased the claim amount.
Back in 2022, Norway's defence ministry announced it wanted compensation of €0.5 billion, to which the company responded with a refusal and a readiness to go to court. Now, the claim has risen to €2.5 billion, according to Norwegian media Teknisk Ukeblad.
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Defense Express, notes that Norway originally ordered 14 NH90 helicopters in 2001 from NH Industries, a joint venture between Airbus (62.5%), Leonardo (32%), and Fokker (5.5%), with planned deliveries from 2005 to 2008. These are the same helicopters recently rejected by Sweden, Australia, and, most recently, Belgium.
By 2022, when Norway announced it was retiring the NH90s, operational readiness had not been achieved. Of the fully ordered complement, only eight aircraft were delivered, each averaging 700 flight hours per year instead of the planned 3,900 hours.
The total cost of the project in 2001, including the helicopters and all associated expenses, was 5.75 billion Norwegian kroner roughly €0.5 billion, the initial claim amount. Now, the figure has risen to 33 billion NOK, or €2.83 billion. This sum combines the original NH90 procurement cost, operational expenses over the years, and the cost of purchasing new American HH-60W helicopters, amounting to an additional €1.09 billion.
Thus, Norway's Ministry of Defence has filed a claim to be reviewed in the Oslo court for the maximum amount, making €2.8 billion an almost unmanageable penalty for NH Industries. To understand the scale, this represents roughly 20% of Leonardos annual revenue or Airbus's defence income.
It is not the first time the Norwegian MoD has filed bold claims. For instance, Norway previously sought €1.1 billion from Spanish shipbuilders over the sunken frigate Helge Ingstad. That case, however, ended with a settlement of €47.5 million plus an undisclosed discount on maintenance and upgrades for other Norwegian Navy frigates.
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