Belfast: Theo Francken, Belgium’s defence minister, said in a series of new updates that the country is eyeing up its largest-ever ammunition order, and will soon retire NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopters (TTHs), as he labelled the rotary acquisition a “bad purchase.”
Francken did not share any additional details related to the ammunition buy, but local media reported that the procurement package amounts to €2.3 billion ($2.7 billion) and will be submitted to the Belgian federal cabinet next week.
“We’re making our country’s biggest ammunition purchase to date,” Francken shared on X, in a translated message. “We’re finally going to be taken seriously.”
In comments heavily critical of the troubled NH90 — a helicopter similarly cancelled or ended prematurely by Australia, Norway and Sweden — Francken said that Belgium’s four TTH standard aircraft will be “decommissioned from September.” He described the rotorcraft as “[e]xtremely expensive to maintain. Replacements to come in 2026.” He did not elaborate on which model of helicopter will succeed the NH90.
NH90-maker NHIndustries (NHI) is a joint venture between Airbus, Leonardo and GKN Fokker. NHI and Airbus had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Belgium is one of four partner nations, alongside Germany, Italy and The Netherlands, involved in the NH90 Block 1/Software Release 3 upgrade program, launched last year. The effort envisions a major uplift in capability for the TTH and the NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) configuration and includes the introduction of a new Link 22 datalink, Leonardo’s LEOSS-T Electro-Optical gimbal, sonar equipment and “additional weapons integration,” according to a NHI statement.
