The German Navy is preparing for a major modernisation step in naval operations. the first NH90 Sea Tiger anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter ordered under the 31-unit Multi-Role Frigate Helicopter (MRFH) programme will be delivered by the end of 2025. This delivery will start the process of renewing the ageing helicopter fleet in the German Navy’s inventory.
The delivery of the remaining Sea Tiger helicopters is planned to be completed within the next six years. The new fleet is intended to replace the existing Westland Sea Lynx Mk88A helicopters and standardise the German Navy’s ship-based helicopter operations in terms of both submarine and surface warfare missions.
Sea Tiger’s Area of Expertise: Submarine and Surface Warfare
Unlike the NH90 Sea Lion, which currently focuses on multi-purpose transport and search and rescue missions, the NH90 Sea Tiger is entirely based around anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASuW) missions. The new helicopters will be deployed on Sachsen and Baden-Württemberg class frigates.
The core systems that Sea Tiger specialises in are:
Sonar System: The helicopter is equipped with a Thales FLASH SONICS immersion sonar system. It is also equipped with a deployment system where active and passive sonar buoys can be dropped. This system allows automatic processing and instantaneous transmission of acoustic data to command centres over the Link 11 and Link 16 networks.
Ammunition Capacity: It is capable of carrying MU90 light torpedo or similar munitions against submarines. Against surface targets, the MBDA can use the Marte ER anti-ship missile.
Qualification Tests Successfully Completed
An important step towards the helicopter’s mission readiness was taken with an eight-week test campaign conducted at Airbus Helicopters’ Marignane facility between February and April 2024. Using the first production helicopter in German Navy configuration, engineers verified sonar integration, communication with torpedo interfaces and flight performance in sea conditions. This process, in which the Mediterranean Sea was chosen as the test area for realistic sonar trials, was critical for the qualification of Sea Tiger.
