Sea Lion takes next steps towards first delivery

The NH90 Sea Lion has recently achieved two important milestones ahead of the first delivery at the end of 2019.

Completion of the German Navy Sea Lion qualification tests

In the beginning of November, all ground and flight tests for the qualification of the new NH90 variant for the German Navy, the NH90 Sea Lion, were concluded. The formal closure of the qualification is expected in the first quarter of 2019, followed by the military type certification by the German authorities in the second quarter of 2019.

The qualification aircraft, the second Sea Lion prototype, is now entering the lay-up phase for upgrading the helicopter to serial configuration and preparing it for delivery to the Bundeswehr. A total of 18 helicopters are on order.

Electrical power-on of first serial German Navy

On 24 October 2018, the first serial German Navy Sea Lion helicopter successfully completed the first power-on of all electrical systems in the final assembly line at Airbus Helicopters in Donauwörth.

This milestone marks an important step towards the first contractual delivery in the fourth quarter of 2019.