Servicing the NH90

Text: Heini Santos
Photos: Pentti Hokkanen and Lasse

The NH90 is a modern troop transport helicopter of nearly all-composite construction, used for carrying equipment and for a range of special missions. The Finnish Defence Forces have ordered 20 of them. Measured by operational use, Finland is among the top users of the NH90. These helicopters form the main fleet of the Defence Forces' Helicopter Battalion, and in addition to duties related to domestic defence, they can be used for rescue activities, to assist other authorities and to participate in international crisis management. Patria assembles NH90 helicopters and handles for their maintenance, repair and technical support, in peacetime and during emergencies. Finland's helicopters are shipped to Utti, where Patria handles their maintenance in the immediate vicinity of the Jaeger Regiment, together with the Defence Forces. Lieutenant Colonel Pasi Kaikonen, head of aviation technology at the Utti Jaeger Regiment, praises the seamless cooperation between Patria and the Defence Forces. Before the first NH90s had even been delivered, representatives of the Regiment had already paid a visit to see how the assembly line operates. Currently, the plan is for Patria to perform comprehensive inspections every 600 flight hours, as well as other major operations. The Defence Forces will focus on lighter fuselage maintenance, during which the helicopter's systems are checked according to the manufacturer's instructions. "We use each other's premises. If the Jaeger Regiment in Utti is short of capacity, we can make up for it, and if a problem arises, our system engineer can go right away to the other side of the airfield to examine the situation. The Jaeger Regiment test flies all helicopters serviced by us and carries out acceptance inspections. Our cooperation is open and fruitful," says Juha Tylli, head of maintenance operations at Patria's Utti facility. "In practical work, the only difference is the colour of our clothes," says Kaikonen, laughing.

In-depth expertise

In addition to smooth cooperation, the Defence Forces expect Patria to provide more in-depth expertise and know-how. When work is abundant, it is also easier for a civil organisation to be more flexible and increase resources. "Since this is a new type of aircraft, a considerable amount of maintenance work is required. Patria has top professionals who have worked with helicopters in France, gaining valuable experience and background information. Such acquired skills are important in troubleshooting," Kaikonen emphasises. Once all of the 20 NH90 helicopters have been delivered to the Jaeger Regiment and been placed in service, the workload in Utti will reach its peak. "We have maintenance facilities for four helicopters. The cycle time must be as short as possible, so that the customer will have as many helicopters as possible at the ready simultaneously," Tylli explains. Utti has 20 people working in maintenance, performing overhauls on the basis of both flight hours and calendar time, as well as corrections of defects and alterations. The technicians' skills are based on thorough knowledge of the aircraft – many of them have worked on the assembly line in Halli, Jämsä, in the middle of Finland. More fresh talent will be available in the future, as a new building will be constructed in Utti this year for the Kouvola Region Vocational College, to offer a three-year helicopter training programme starting next year.

Masters of heavy maintenance

As a Eurocopter subcontractor, the Halli unit's main responsibility is to provide assembled NH90 helicopters to the Finnish Defence Forces and the Swedish Armed Forces. In the future, a second important duty will be added: carrying out the heavy maintenance of Finland's NH90s. The first 600-hour inspection has just been completed. "The next helicopter does not have enough flight hours yet, so we are waiting for the next heavy maintenance. With a cycle time of five to six months, we have prepared for performing five 600-hour inspections in Halli every year, on average," says Harri Majanmaa, head of the Halli unit. During a 600-hour inspection, the helicopter is examined almost as thoroughly as if it were scanned. At least five technicians are employed full-time in the process, and it includes many checks to identify any signs of use and fatigue. The whole process is so extensive that special experts are also needed occasionally. After six years of operation, many equipment replacements are also carried out. The timing of the maintenance cycle (which is based on flight hours) in relation to calendar years naturally depends on how much the aircraft is used. All maintenance work is performed listening to the customer; after all, these are long-term projects and customer relationships. The completion of such projects requires specialised knowledge of all helicopter systems, which Patria has accumulated through assembly work and training. "This has been Patria's strategy for decades, and it was repeated with Hornets and Hawks. When Patria has been given the responsibility for assembly, it has also provided an excellent opportunity to study the aircraft daily, enabling the building of maintenance capability," Majanmaa sums up.

Joint product support

Patria develops a new NH90 product concept to bring together all NH90 expertise in the form of product and system support. This new concept will support Patria in representing itself as an official maintenance organisation for all Nordic countries. "Until now, the wealth of expertise at Patria has been dispersed across the Group. By means of an efficient, matrix-like organisation, we can improve the visibility and functioning of these operations," says Antti Koivisto, NH90 Test and Service Engineer. Although this is not a major change in terms of the organisation or resources, the fundamental model of operation will be completely transformed. "The new product support concept will enable end users to obtain all expert services related to NH90s from Patria by making just one phone call," Koivisto notes. In practice, this means that all products will have a single point of contact, through which the end customer can ask questions and submit service requests. It will be up to product support personnel to decide how to solve a problem or provide the service requested, and to send off the resources or allocate tasks to various Patria units.

Experts in Linköping

Five Patria experts work at the Linköping unit of the Swedish Air Force. Four Patria's mechanics certified by the Swedish Air Force are responsible for maintaining the NH90 helicopters in Sweden, and one also certified technical consultant assists with the trickiest technical problems and troubleshooting, and supports the customer in using and maintaining the helicopters on a general level.

Håkan Hansson, System Manager in charge of the NH90 department of the Swedish Air Force's fleet management.

"You can normally service helicopters in Europe if you have general certification, but since the NH90 is intended purely for military use, it is subject to military aviation regulations in Sweden. Even if someone had built 10 helicopters, he could not complete the job without certification," says Håkan Hansson, System Manager in charge of the NH90 department of the Swedish Air Force's fleet management. People in Linköping are satisfied with Patria's way of working. Personnel and their skills levels are taken care of, and when it comes to helicopters, it is exactly these that play the key role. Hansson emphasises the importance of many of Patria's technicians having participated in the manufacture of NH90s, starting from the early stages of assembly. "Such know-how is invaluable when things go wrong," he says. Sweden's first 600-hour inspection is currently under way in Linköping. This is the most comprehensive maintenance check for a helicopter system, during which the helicopter is practically disassembled by Patria mechanics.

The staff and their knowhow are taken care of. Many of Patria's technicians have participated in manufacturing NH90 helicopters, from early stages of assembly.

What does the customer expect from Patria? "Quality. We must be able to trust Patria, and we absolutely can," Hansson assures.

Various forms of cooperation

The need for NH90 expertise will naturally increase in Sweden: today, there are four NH90s, but their number will rise to 18 once the fleet is complete. The Swedish Air Force will be needing external assistance in the future as well, at least in some maintenance operations. In addition to the Linköping site, the Swedish Air Force also collaborates with the Stockholm-based main facility of Patria Helicopters AB, although not on a daily basis. The third link with Patria is the spare parts system subcontracted to Patria by NHIndustries, the manufacturer of NH90 helicopters. Patria manages the system through which all customary spare parts transported to Sweden and Norway pass. This system is the only area of the otherwise exemplary cooperation that has also presented challenges. "Sweden is an EU Member State, Norway isn't. Norway is a NATO country, Sweden isn't. Due to the multitude of regulations, transporting spare parts between these countries has proved very problematic, and Patria is at the hub of it all, as it maintains the spare parts system. But after the initial difficulties, we have managed to get things going," Hansson says.   This article was published in the Patria magazine in June 2013