The first three NH90s in the TTH version were delivered to the German Army in Donauwörth on 13 December 2006. An official ceremony was held to celebrate this long-awaited event.

The Bundeswehr, which is the launch customer for the NH90, recently received its first three aircraft.
This event clearly marks a major step in the program. The type certification for the German helicopters was received in early December following the NAHEMA qualification issued on 31 March 2006.
The way is now clear for the next deliveries to the German Army, and the national certifications of the NH90 in the TTH (1) version for the applicable export countries (see Rotor Journal 69).
Since early this year, two of the NH90s have been assigned to the German Army Flight Academy in Bückeburg for flight training; the third NH90 will be used to train ground technicians, and a total of ten NH90s will be arriving in Bückeburg this year.

Joachim Plüß, German Staff Colonel and Head of the “Transformation of the Germany Army Air Corps – Personnel” Workgroup, had this to say about the historic delivery during the ceremony: “The delivery of the first NH90 marks the dawning of a new era in helicopter operations. With its cutting-edge technology, this weapon platform will offer flight crews and troops an impressive range of new capabilities that cover all types of tactical and operational missions, even in extremely hostile environments."

Focusing on NH90 Training
The training of Bundeswehr personnel is in full swing. By April of this year, forty additional flight engineers will have completed their prep training at Eurocopter in Donauwörth in order to obtain their type qualification on the NH90. Once they have received their qualifications, the selected engineers – who are amongst the most highly ranked and highly skilled technicians in the Bundeswehr – will then provide training to other mechanics and avionics specialists.
The training system will have a pyramid-type structure. Already in 2006, eight pilots from the Bundeswehr – responsible for training and maintenance tests - completed classroom work at the Eurocopter Training Academy.

The pilots also performed flight hours on the SPHERE simulator at ETS(2) in Marignane. In Bückeburg, this same group is currently being initiated in the use of the NH90 by one of Eurocopter’s Customer Logistic Support teams; and a team from the Eurocopter Training Academy will then conduct a final examination to certify the capabilities of the pilots to train their own flight crews internally.
In Donauwörth, in 2006, 150 German soldiers also completed initial training modules on the mechanical and avionics aspects of the NH90.
These soldiers are not part of the Bundeswehr training staff, but are mainly quality controllers and technicians instead.
The lion’s share of the training for the Bundeswehr personnel has therefore now been completed, and the first NH90 will be ready to successfully complete its missions by mid-2007.