German Navy has selected the NH90 Sea Lions helicopters to replace fleet of Westland Mk 41 Sea Kings. The first of the 18 ordered helicopters was delivered in 2019 and officially commissioned into service in the navy in June 2020.
German Navy’s NH90 Sea Lion fleet will take on a wide range of roles including search and rescue (SAR), maritime reconnaissance, special forces as well as personnel and material transportation missions.
In addition to its land-based use, the Sea Lion will also operate on Type 702 (Berlin class) combat support ships.
In 2020, the German armed forces has ordered 31 NH90 Sea Tiger helicopters for the for the German Navy’s shipborne operations. The helicopters will replace the German Navy’s Sea Lynx Mk88A fleet which entered into service in 1981.
Both the Sea Tiger and the Sea Lion are derivatives of the NH90 NFH. The Sea Tiger is based on the Sea Lion configuration, enhanced by mission capabilities and equipment in order to carry out their specific tasks.
In addition to reconnaissance and transport, the shipborne Sea Tigers missions include engaging targets above and below the surface. For this purpose, the Sea Tiger is, amongst others, equipped with active dipping sonar, Â passive sonar buoys, and weapons (torpedoes and missiles).