Airbus has unveiled a prototype of a new specialized helicopter for special operations – the NH90 Caïman Standard 2.

This was reported by the official website of the Ministry of Armed Forces of France.

This variant is being developed as part of the strengthening of the French Special Operations Forces component, in particular to improve their transportation capabilities for the delivery of special forces over long distances in conditions of maximum stealth.

In addition, the helicopter is equipped with modern optical sensors and thermal imaging cameras, which allows it to fly at low altitudes both day and night and in difficult weather conditions.

According to preliminary plans, the French army will receive 18 helicopters of this type in the period from 2026 to 2029.

The helicopters are assembled at Airbus’ facility in Marignane, where the main NH90 assembly line is located.

The prototype helicopter was demonstrated at the SOFINS (Special Operations Forces Innovation Network Seminar) exhibition.

The NH90 is a twin-engine helicopter weighing 11 tons, developed as part of the European cooperation between France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium by the NHIndustries consortium, which includes Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo and Fokker.

The NH90 program in France is coordinated by the Directorate General of Armament (DGA), which relies on the NATO Helicopter Management Agency for overall program management.

To date, the DGA has ordered and delivered 64 NH90 Standard 1 helicopters for the French Army Aviation, as well as 27 NH90 helicopters in the maritime warfare version for the French Navy.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that France had received its latest tactical transport helicopter, the NH90 Caïman TTH from NH Industries.

With the gradual decommissioning of Puma helicopters, the NH90 Caiman TTH now forms the main tactical helicopter fleet of the army, along with the modernized H215M Cougar and H225M Caracal.