Airbus Helicopters Expands Partnership with Kongsberg

(04 Feb 2022)  Airbus Helicopters and Kongsberg have signed a long-term agreement to support the Norwegian Armed Forces.

Under the terms of the MOU between Airbus Helicopters, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and Kongsberg Aviation Maintenance Services, the companies will work to strengthen the deployment of local maintenance capabilities with the objective to optimize the availability of the NH90 helicopter.

As an initial activity, Airbus is developing and qualifying Kongsberg’s facilities to provide deep maintenance of the NH90 tail gearboxes for the Norwegian fleet and to bring business opportunities for the Nordics where a total of 52 NH90s are operated by Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Norwegian Coast Guard (Kystvakten) NH90 Helicopter. Photo: Agusta Westland

Airbus Helicopters Regional Director Industrial Cooperation, Damien Lamy, said, “This agreement is the beginning of an ambitious partnership with Kongsberg which will strengthen Norway’s autonomy and sovereign support capability in this specialized field.”

The agreement will position Kongsberg as prime contractor for this support contract and the first entity outside Airbus to be qualified for the work.

In subsequent steps, Airbus and Kongsberg have identified further paths to exploit a range of additional cooperation opportunities with the objective of enhancing Norway’s support provision.

Terje Bråthen, EVP of Kongsberg Aerostructures & MRO, said, “Kongsberg has a proven capability in production, manufacturing, repair and overhaul activity for the aerospace industry. Kongsberg is also a strategic partner to the Norwegian Armed Forces for sustainment and logistics. We are looking forward to our enhanced cooperation with Airbus with the overall goal of increased operational capability for NH90 users.”