DGA begins operational testing of French special forces NH90
The DGA launched operational testing of the NH90 FS for French SOF in March 2026, ahead of delivery of 18 such helicopters from June. (DGA)
The Directorate General of Armament (Direction Générale de l'Armement: DGA) has begun operational flight trials of the NHIndustries (NHI) NH90 Forces Spéciales (FS) helicopter for French special operation forces (SOF).
The DGA announced the milestone in early March for the NH90 FS helicopter that is also known as the Tactical Transport Helicopter (TTH) France (TFRA) / Standard 2, describing it as “a new operational era [that] is opening for French special forces”.
As noted by the agency, the trials are validating the NH90 FS flight performance as well as its enhanced SOF capabilities, ahead of delivery of the first such helicopter to the French Ministry of Armed Forces in June.
The FS configuration includes the Safran Euroflir electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor, the provision of a future defensive aids suite from Safran, a Thales TopOwl colour helmet-mounted display, a new digital map, a new larger cargo door to enable SOF to exit more quickly than from previous configurations, and an enlarged and sliding rear window on each side of the aircraft to accommodate a gun.
The NH90 FS is intended to provide French SOF with new intervention capabilities suited to their missions in all types of theatres, as set out in the Military Programming Law (LPM) 2019–2025. Intended for the 4th Special Forces Helicopter Regiment (4th RHFS), the NH90 FS will eventually offer penetration and operating capabilities in very degraded visibility conditions, in theatres of operation deemed difficult such as the Sahel-Saharan strip of North Africa.
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