Nordic Standard Helicopter Program

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Nordic Standard Helicopter Program (NSHP) was a joint effort by Norway, Sweden, Finland, and initially Denmark to choose a single helicopter for all three Nordic countries. In 1999 the group set a requirement for a helicopter in the 9–15 ton class and considered four options: AgustaWestland AW101, NHIndustries NH90, Eurocopter AS532 Cougar, and Sikorsky S-92. In September 2001 the NH90 was chosen as the Nordic standard, and Sweden, Norway, and Finland ordered it. Denmark withdrew from the program and picked the EH101 instead, leaving the three remaining countries to proceed with the NH90, which was still under development.

Norway ordered 14 NH90s in 2001; Sweden ordered 18; Finland ordered 20. Most airframes for Norway, Sweden, and Finland were to be assembled at Patria in Finland, with final assembly at several sites in Europe and beyond. The plan faced resistance from the search-and-rescue community, who argued the NH90 was too small for some SAR roles, a concern that helped Denmark leave the program.

Alongside NSHP, Norway pursued a separate SAR competition, NAWSARH, with Iceland in the 2010s. Iceland pulled out in 2012, and Norway ultimately moved toward alternate suppliers for SAR.

In 2022, after many years of delays and other issues, Norway canceled its 14-airframe NH90 order, leaving Sweden and Finland with their NH90 fleets. Finland has 20 NH90s in service for Army transport, and Sweden operates 18 NH90s, with some configured for transport and some for SAR, using the high cabin variant (HCV).