Sweden became on Tuesday (01) the third country to reject the NHIndustries NH90, following in norway's footsteps and Australia. The Nordic country plans to replace the helicopters with the North American UH-60 Black Hawk. 

The decision was announced by the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, General Micael Byden as part of the latest plan for military modernization and procurement. As in the other two countries, Swedish Air Force officials claim that the helicopter has had a low availability rate. 

Byden plans to retire the 18 NH90s purchased in 2008, locally designated HKP14, after a report on capabilities and possible modernization of the aircraft indicated that the best course would be to retire the NH90s. 

The HKP14E, used for troop transport and support, will be replaced by the UH-60, while the replacement for the HKP14F, used in maritime intelligence and anti-submarine warfare missions, will be defined by 2030.

Sweden already operates 15 UH-60M, a more modern version of the Black Hawk, locally called HKP16. The helicopters were hastily purchased to compensate for delays in NH90 deliveries. The Seahawk is a possible replacement for the HKP14F. Australia and Norway are acquiring the model to replace their NH90 NFH. 

Despite Byden's decision, the plan still needs to be approved by the government. In any case, it is yet another hard blow for the NH90, produced by a consortium formed by Airbus, Leonardo Helicopters and GKN/Fokker.

“NHI acknowledges the latest study issued by the Swedish armed forces on the future of its military capability and subsequently its recommendation to rationalize its future fleet of helicopters with a reduced number of platforms (including the phasing out of its current NH90 fleet)“, an Airbus spokesman said in a statement. 

Second Flightglobal, the statement also highlights customizing the helicopters to Swedish requirements, including increased cabin height and a tactical mission system developed by Saab for the naval version. Furthermore, NHI emphasizes that availability rates for Sweden's NH90s are "above average for similar helicopter types", although the size of the available fleet has been "temporarily reduced" in recent years due to a modernization program and update running since 2017, but due for completion in late 2023.