European Sovereignty Monitor

Defence and space

Belgium to decommission NH90 TTH helicopters from September over cost

Belgian defence minister Theo Francken said Belgium will decommission its four NH90 TTH helicopters from September, calling them a "bad purchase" too costly to maintain. Replacements, also European-built, arrive from 2026.

Reported Editor-read Breaking Defense, 10 July 2025

What it does not test. It does not establish a new contract value or shift Belgium toward non-European suppliers, since the replacement aircraft are also European-built.

How this item counts. This item is dated before the index starts on 1 January 2026, so it does not count in the European Sovereignty Index.

How this item was made. Drafted by an AI system (Claude (Anthropic)) from the source cited above; read and approved by the editor on 2026-10-19. How the record is made

What the tags mean: VerifiedReportedAI-draftedAI-drafted, editor-readHuman-writtenWhat the tags mean

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