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Belgian Navy NH90 NFH Maritime Helicopter in Qualification Tests with Royal Netherlands Navy OPV

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Naval Forces News - Belgium, Netherlands
 
 
 
Belgian Navy NH90 NFH Maritime Helicopter in Qualification Tests with Royal Netherlands Navy OPV
 
A Belgian Navy NH90 NFH (Nato Frigate Helicopter) maritime helicopter conducted qualification trials with the Royal Netherlands Navy Holland-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV) HNLMS Zeeland. The Belgian Navy crew made 10 landings with the Caiman RN03 on the OPV's flight deck.
     
A Belgian Navy NH90 NFH Maritime Helicopter in Qualification Tests with Royal Netherlands Navy OPV HNLMS Zeeland. Picture: Belgian Navy
     

Belgian crews finished the first phase of their training in the field of search and in October 2015. In addition, the Caiman may be used to support naval missions of Belgian frigates in the area of detection and reconnaissance.

 "The radar coverage of a vessel is only 22 nautical miles (approximately 40 km)," says the lieutenant first class aviator Bart Blok. He is chief of operations in Netherlands Navy 860 Squadron. "The Caiman permits to extend the radar coverage to 150 miles (about 277 km). "
     
A Belgian Navy Caiman in Qualification Tests with Royal Netherlands Navy OPV HNLMS Zeeland. Picture: Belgian Navy
     
A Caiman helicopter can fly three hours without having to refuel. Landing on a ship is essential to the execution of offshore operations. When deployed from a surface vessel, the must be able to land in adverse weather conditions.

"The Caiman helicopter is much heavier than the Alouette III that I was flying at the time," said Kenneth, the Belgian pilot of Caiman RN03. "The helicopter is however sensitive to wind. It is still quite difficult to put it on the deck. "

Training in these maneuvers is essential. This is why the crew repeated many times landing operations in various conditions. The crews must take into account the strength and direction of the wind and the ship motions. A Dutch instructor flew aboard the Belgian helicopter to ensure the smooth running of operations. It was the first time that a Belgian helicopter had an international crew to land on a Dutch ship.

"The Dutch procured the Caiman before us. Their knowledge of naval operations are much more extensive. We are precisely in the Netherlands to benefit from their know-how. " said Kenneth

The Belgian Navy declared the Initial Operational Capacity (IOC) for its first three NH90 NFH in August 2015.

According to the Belgian Navy, the NH90 NFH main missions include:
- Tactical transport of troops (up to 20 fully equipped soldiers)
- Logistics transport
- SAR on land and at sea
- Anti-submarine and Anti-surface warfare (ASW / ASuW)
( his capacity should be achieved in future standards).