Netherlands stops all deliveries of NH90 helicopters due to vulnerability against corrosion

The Netherlands has stopped taking all deliveries of NH90 helicopters due to their unusually vulnerability against corrosion.

TUjobs.com states that the Netherlands declined to accept the last seven deliveries of helicopters until it is are confident that the manufacturer, NH Industries, has solved all the problems, and they can agree on who is to pay for the necessary repair of existing helicopters.

The extent of the corrosion was inspected by the Netherlands National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR), which concluded that there had not been adequate action taken to prevent galvanic corrosion. There are especially many incidents of metal components installed directly onto composite materials without electric isolation.

NLR also states that certain components that should have undergone a surface treatment were not been treated at all, and were also poorly protected.

Normal procedure when the helicopters land on deck would be to rinse off with fresh water, however, in heavy seas the rotor blades and tail have to be folded within 20 minutes, which leaves no time for rinsing.

For more information on this story, visit http://www.tujobs.com/news/316202-nh90-struggle-with-sea-water