September 8, 2003

European firm NH Industries has sold twenty NH90 transport helicopters to the Greek Army, for about $35 million each. Total sales so far for the NH90 are 325, all to European nations. The 8.7 ton NH90 comes in transport and naval version (used for reconnaissance, anti-submarine and anti-ship missions.) The transport version can carry twenty troops, plus the crew of two. Powered by two engines, the NH90 has a top speed of 300 kilometers an hour and a maximum endurance of 5.5 hours. It first flew in 1995 and uses state of the art avionics and other components to justify the $35 million dollar price tag. NH Industries is a consortium of French, German, Dutch and Italian aviation firms.