{"id":63749,"date":"2026-03-02T23:50:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T22:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=63749"},"modified":"2026-03-09T23:22:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T22:22:51","slug":"the-finnish-armys-nh90s-and-their-habit-inherited-from-soviet-helicopters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2026\/03\/02\/the-finnish-armys-nh90s-and-their-habit-inherited-from-soviet-helicopters\/","title":{"rendered":"The Finnish Army's NH90s and their habit inherited from Soviet helicopters"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Finnish Army is one of the NATO armed forces facing a more challenging operational environment.<\/p>\n

The Finnish Army reveals its best ally against a Russian invasion, and it's not a weapon<\/a><\/rel>
\nThe numbers of land, air and naval resources that Finland incorporates into NATO<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

Finland is a heavily forested country (75% of its surface area is covered by forests) with a very cold climate, with regions experiencing six or seven months of snowfall each year. For decades, the Finnish Defence Forces operated ten Soviet Mil Mi-8 helicopters<\/strong> (eight Mi-8Ts and two Mi-8Ps), received in the 1970s by the Finnish Air Force and the Border Guard. The Mi-8 was a helicopter highly regarded by Finnish pilots.<\/strong> Although not easy to fly, they were robust and simple to maintain.<\/p>\n

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In 2001, Finland signed a contract to purchase 20 NH90 TTH tactical transport helicopters.<\/strong> Deliveries were scheduled for 2004 but were delayed by four years. The first helicopter was manufactured in France, and the remaining 19 were assembled in Finland<\/strong> by the defense company Patria. In addition to the delay, the initial experience included a major disappointment: the manufacturer had promised 3 hours of maintenance for every hour of flight<\/a>, but it ultimately took 30<\/strong>. This exorbitant cost hampered its operational effectiveness.<\/p>\n

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These problems were compounded by another: the Finnish NH90s were delivered with an initial operational configuration<\/strong> that did not meet all the expected characteristics for these aircraft. Deliveries of the 20 Finnish NH90s were completed in 2015, with serious availability issues that resulted in only 19% of the fleet being available in 2014<\/a>, a percentage that increased to 50% in 2015. The final operational configuration was not achieved until 2018.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Of course, the NH90 included notable improvements over the Mi-8.<\/strong> One of these was the electrothermal technology of its main rotor, which serves to remove ice. Something important in such a cold country. In addition, the NH90s include a glass cockpit and the ability to fly with night vision goggles<\/strong>, a feature that Finnish Mi-8 pilots never had. Another important improvement is the Military Obstacle Warning System (MilOWS)<\/strong>, based on the LADAR laser pulse remote sensing system (similar to the well-known LiDAR), which allows flying in wooded areas with great safety even in very bad weather conditions.<\/p>\n

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The Finnish NH90s have been equipped with 7.62 mm M-134 Minigun Gatling guns in their side doors<\/strong>, after testing the German MG3 machine guns (whose firing was more sensitive to rotor drift) and the Browning M3, whose rate of fire proved unsatisfactory. It is a weapon commonly used in the gunner positions of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.<\/strong> Finland is currently the only country using the Minigun on the NH90 (the Australian Army used it on its NH90s until their retirement in 2023).<\/p>\n

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The Finnish NH90s have received two local upgrades.<\/strong> One of these is different pilot side windows than those included in the factory configuration. The Finnish company Patria introduced improved glazing to enhance visibility in poor weather conditions<\/strong>, along with other systems to ensure the aircraft's operability in very cold climates. Furthermore, the Finnish NH90s have been modified to fly without the rear ramp<\/strong>, a feature of the Mil Mi-8 that was widely used in Finland for certain missions, such as transporting snowmobiles.<\/p>\n

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The 20 Finnish NH90s are operated by the Utin J\u00e4\u00e4k\u00e4rirykmentti (UTJR) Helicopter Battalion<\/strong>, the Finnish Army's Special Hunter Regiment, a special operations unit. To learn more about the Finnish NH90s, I recommend watching this video published a few days ago by<\/strong> Vertical Plus<\/a> and Lloyd H Photography<\/a>, which shows these aircraft up close and features an interview with one of their pilots:<\/p>\n