Norway has terminated its contract for the NHIndustries NH90 medium-lift helicopter and demanded a full refund from the company. In a June 10 press release, Norway's Ministry of Defence (MoD) attributed the decision to schedule delays, poor performance and low aircraft availability. Norway, which acquired the NH90 for maritime missions, said that it would begin preparations to return the helicopters and seek an alternative that would fulfill its requirements.NHIndustries (NHI) refuted the allegations in a June 10 press release of its own, saying that it was "extremely disappointed" by the decision and arguing that Norway's MoD never offered the company the opportunity to address the concerns. The company said it "refutes the allegations being made against the NH90 as well as against the Company." NHI is a France-based consortium comprised of Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo Helicopters and Fokker Aerostructures. Since NH90 first became operational in 2007, a total of 471 aircraft have been delivered, accruing 327,000 flight hours.
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