Norway near settlement in $3 billion NH90 helicopter dispute
Norway is close to reaching a legal settlement with major European aerospace firms over its $3.3 billion claim tied to the cancelled NH90 military helicopter programme, according to people familiar with the matter.
The agreement, now in its final stages, would resolve Norway’s demand for compensation from NHIndustries after Oslo scrapped its order for the anti-submarine helicopters due to extensive delivery delays and performance issues. The deal would also avert a rare public trial involving defence procurement and prevent a countersuit by NHIndustries and its owners — Airbus, Leonardo and GKN Fokker — which sought hundreds of millions of dollars in return, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
A hearing had been scheduled for November 10, but a settlement is expected to be finalised before then, sources said.
Norway announced in 2022 that it would abandon the NH90 fleet, describing the project as “beyond repair” and grounding the aircraft amid long-running operational and maintenance challenges. The Scandinavian country has since moved to procure U.S.-made Seahawk helicopters as replacements to safeguard its maritime and defence capabilities.
Neither side immediately commented as talks continued quietly in Paris and Oslo.
Similar news
