In Finland, the NHIndustries NH90 had the difficult task of succeeding the Mil Mi-8. Replacing an extremely rustic helicopter with a highly sophisticated one was not easy, but the mission is now complete — and Nato's newest member nation was the winner.

Finland nurtures an effective military, relying heavily on conscription and reservists to compensate for the small size of its population. The Utti Jaeger Regiment based near Kouvola, 150 kilometers (90 miles) northeast of Helsinki, is the spearhead of the Finnish combat institution. The regiment includes a parachute battalion and a helicopter battalion, both of which are the only ones in the country. The helicopter battalion brings together all 20 NH90s operated by Finland (as well as seven MD 500s). The number of helicopters may seem low, but it should be remembered that the NH90s replaced only 10 Mi-8s. The Finns also know how to make the most of their equipment.

Finland bought its first helicopter — an Mi-1 — in 1961. Three more were eventually acquired from the USSR. The Mi-1s, however, were not very popular due to their very modest performance. During the following years, the Finnish air force put into service Mi-4s, then Agusta-Bell AB-206As and the Aerospatiale Alouette II. They were increasingly efficient helicopters, but didn’t meet the country’s need for a real transport helicopter that would allow it to move combatants over great distances.

In the early 1970s, Finland finally decided to launch an acquisition program for a powerful aircraft that would support troops on the ground in the harshest environments. The country turned to the USSR: the Mi-8 was a powerful helicopter, but the purchase also represented a commercial pledge to its large neighbor.

The first Mi-8 was delivered on May 28, 1973. Over the years, Finland received a total of 8 Mi-8Ts and two Mi-8Ps. On their arrival in the country, the aircraft received western weather radar and radios. Despite the loss of an aircraft in 1982 (it sank through the ice during a rescue mission), the Finns accumulated more than 36,000 flight hours on the type in 37 years of use.

A major turning point came in 1997, when a reorganization of the air force resulted in all helicopters being transferred to the army. On this date, the Utti Jaeger Regiment was also created, with its parachute battalion receiving two main missions: deep reconnaissance behind enemy lines (a mission mastered by the Finns since their wars against the Soviet Union) and special operations in an urban environment.

In 2001, four years after the creation of the regiment, the helicopter battalion was attached to it, with a double mission: to support the operations of all the services and branches of the armed forces (and the special forces in particular), and to help civil authorities such as the police, firefighters and border guards.

Replacing the Mi8

The reorganization of the air force was completed by a major acquisition program that sought to replace the Mi-8 fleet and double its size. The Finnish army was keen to acquire a modern aircraft that would allow it to easily integrate into international operations.

With this idea of ​​interoperability, particularly with regard to its Norwegian and Swedish neighbors, Finland opted for the NH90, signing an acquisition contract for 20 aircraft in October 2001. The first aircraft was assembled in Marignane, France, with the remained built in Finland by Patria.

After a four-year delay in delivery, Finland took possession of its first NH90 in November 2008. The 20th and last NH90 was delivered by Patria in June 2015. To save time, the helicopters were put into service in an Initial Operational Configuration (IOC). It wasn’t until 2018, 17 years after the order was placed, that the entire fleet reached “Final Operational Configuration” (FOC). The Mi-8s were donated to museums and schools, with Hungary receiving the two final Mi-8Ts, with all remaining spare parts.

“The Mi-8s were very popular with the crews,” said Lieutenant Colonel Kimmo Nordberg, the former helicopter battalion commander, and now a representative of the Army Commander in the Finnish Defence Command. “These were sturdy, rustic aircraft, with a large interior volume that made it possible to stand up. The large opening, when the clamshell rear end doors were removed, made it possible to drop very large loads. But the NH90 brings us real progress in operational capabilities.”

The Mi-8 had a very basic autopilot, and was not easy to fly. The NH90 is a different breed altogether. Its modern automatic flight-control system allows the pilot to look outside of the cockpit and concentrate on the mission. With Finland’s harsh weather, the NH90’s all-weather flight capabilities are particularly appreciated.

“The Mi-8s were not compatible with the use of night vision goggles [NVGs], whereas it is something very common with the NH90 — either with the TopOwl helmet, or with traditional NVGs, which fare slightly better with a snow-covered ground, snowfalls and the darkest nights,” said Nordberg. “With its piloting aids, its navigation FLIR and the HELLAS obstacle avoidance system, the NH90 allows us to fly even lower and with better margins of safety thanks to its powerful engine.”

The Mi-8 routinely carried around 20 soldiers. The NH90 can only take about 15 in anti-crash seats. But this figure can rise to 20 in the “seat out” configuration used by the special forces, when all the seats are removed from the cabin and the men strap directly on the floor.

The rear ramp is commonly used to load and unload skidoos. To facilitate airdrops, the Finns are also keen to fly without the ramp and rear doors, as they previously did with the Mi-8s. “Flying without the ramp, with a large opening at the rear of the fuselage, is not a problem,” said Nordberg. “It may not have been planned initially, but we tested the setup and it worked well. You just have to make a few adjustments to the speeds and angle of attack of the aircraft.”

The Finnish NH90s chose the 7.62 mm Dillon 134 miniguns as a self-defense weapon. The MG3 machine guns, also in 7.62 caliber, proved unsuitable for this role, with the less powerful ammunition being more sensitive to rotor downwash. “We studied the M3 12.7 mm machine gun, but its rate of fire seemed insufficient to us,” said Nordberg. “We are also experimenting the Barrett 12.7 mm heavy sniper rifle from the helicopter, and may use it in the future. We are not interested in the 20 mm door mounted cannon, but we are still looking towards the use of powerful axial armaments.”

The Finnish air force is responsible for the basic training of future pilots, which is done with 40 flight hours in a light fixed-wing aircraft. Three or four pilots are directed towards helicopters each year, and after an additional 60 hours of flight they join Utti and begin their MD 500 instruction.

As they progress in their piloting skills, the young pilots undergo officer training at the military academy. Seven years may therefore elapse between their initial engagement and their qualification as an operational pilot. The suitable candidates are then directed to the NH90, which they first join as co-pilot. After three or four years of experience, they can become aircraft commander with a qualification initially only for the simplest missions. Then comes a qualification for all missions, followed by an air mission commander (AMC) qualification. An air mission commander is capable of conducting a complex mission simultaneously involving several helicopters and planes. Regular training is done with the air force’s F/A-18 Hornets.

An ongoing program is set to modify the MD 500 fleet with the replacement of old instruments with a multifunction display. At the same time, the cockpits of the three old versions of MD 500 will be changed to become NVG-compatible, and after this upgrade, the whole fleet will be NVG-compatible. The helicopters will also receive a new encrypted radio installation and datalink.

A long warm up

Beside its military missions, support for civilian authorities is part of the unit’s secondary role. Firefighting is carried out using the Bambi Bucket (with a capacity of 1.5 tonnes of water), previously in service on the Mi-8s and modified for use with the NH90.

The helicopters are also used in support of police operations and for rescue missions on land or at sea. In the latter case, it is the Super Puma of the border guards who are on the front line from their bases in Turku, Helsinki and Rovaniemi. But the NH90s can be called in as reinforcements at sea, day or night. The speed and range of the aircraft is a major benefit, with the ability to take off from Kouvola and reach northern Finland without refuelling.

However, the NH90 is not perfect — starting perhaps with a certain lack of hardiness. The Mi-8, for example, had been designed by people with a good knowledge of extreme cold. “Starting up the NH90 is sometimes complicated in very cold weather,” said Nordberg. “If we leave the helicopter exposed to the outdoors overnight in -40 C [-40 F] — and these are temperatures we sometimes encounter — it takes an hour to get it going in the morning, with a long warm-up. The Mi-8 took only 15 minutes. . . . However, I must admit that the NH90 does very well in flight in the most severe icing conditions.”

Aircraft maintenance was the subject of vigorous criticism during the type’s first years of service. In 2014, the availability was less than 20 percent. The numbers improved slowly thereafter, and now fluctuates around 40 percent.

“When we bought the NH90, the manufacturer promised us a requirement for three hours of maintenance per hour of flight,” said Nordberg. “The reality is that the need was closer to 30 man hours per flight hour.” To regain control, the Finns are now working on adapting maintenance programs that are now defined by calendar deadlines. There is no doubt that it would be more profitable to carry out maintenance according to actual wear, which would make it possible to follow simpler and less burdensome maintenance plans.

This is a must, because things are getting serious in Europe. After several decades of political balance between East and West, Finland has officially joined Nato. This is a considerable geopolitical shift, which once again places the country of only 5.5 million inhabitants on the front line with Russia. In this context, the choice of the NH90, developed in response to Nato requirements for a battlefield helicopter, takes on a new relevance — and one that was probably not been envisaged when the aircraft was selected by the Finns over 20 years ago.