The German Navy has announced that it has selected the NH90 NFH helicopter to replace the Lynx Mk88A anti-submarine warfare helicopters on board its frigates. This logical decision, since the NH90 had already been selected to replace the Sea Kings for search and rescue missions at sea, brings the order for NH90 NFH (Nato Frigate Helicopter) to 18 units, which will be delivered from 2025.
According to German authorities, the new helicopters will be “very close” to the NH90 Caiman Marine in service with the French Navy. We can therefore assume that they will carry the very efficient FLASH sonar from Thales, and the Mu90 torpedo, which equip French helicopters. This decision will allow better interoperability between the two navies, particularly in ASW missions, whether between the helicopters themselves, but also with the frigates and maritime patrol aircraft, regarding which, let us remember, France and the Germany have undertaken the development of a new joint aircraft intended to replace the French Atlantique 2 and the German P3 Orion. By this choice, therefore, the German Navy confirms its desire to achieve maximum interoperability with its French ally, all sonar systems being designed to collaborate together.
The anti-submarine fight was for a long time, following the fall of the Soviet bloc, neglected by many Western Navies, first and foremost the US Navy. But the rise in power of the Russian and Chinese submarine fleets has reversed the problem in recent years, and many navies are now seeking to regain skills in the field. Thus, the British Parliamentary Defense Committee estimated this winter that to be able to cope with Russian submarine power in the North Sea, the Baltic and the eastern North Atlantic, it would be necessary to increase 50% of the fleet of P8 Poseidon ordered from the United States, and to double, at a minimum, the number of Type 31 light frigates, while significantly strengthening their ASW capabilities.
In the format defined by the current LPM, the French Navy will have, in 2028, 11 frigates specialized in the ASM mission, the 6 FREMM and the 5 FDI, each with a hull sonar and a depth towed sonar. variable CAPTAS (respectively 4 and 2), and an ASM helicopter, allowing anti-submarine warfare operations to be carried out both in coastal areas and in the deep sea. It will also have 18 Atlantic 2 maritime patrol aircraft currently being modernized, and immense know-how in the field.
