On Tuesday, December 16, 2025, the first NH-90 MRFH Sea Tiger shipborne helicopter will be officially handed over to the German Navy in Berlin. The acceptance of the helicopter by the Federal Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius, and the Inspector of the Navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, underscores that the introduction of the NH-90 MRFH Sea Tiger is a technological milestone for anti-submarine warfare and naval aerial warfare.
With the Sea Tiger, the German Navy receives a state-of-the-art, high-performance, and versatile shipborne helicopter, specifically designed for the requirements of national and alliance defense. A total of 30 NH-90 MRFH Sea Tiger helicopters will be stationed at Naval Air Wing 5 in Nordholz, Lower Saxony.
The Sea Tiger represents a qualitative leap in maritime warfare. With its advanced sensors and weaponry, the German Navy’s frigates will be significantly more powerful in the future. “The helicopter enables us to conduct modern naval warfare to combat underwater and surface threats from the air,” explains the Inspector of the Navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack.
Equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, high-precision sensors, and powerful weapons, including torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, the Sea Tiger, as the fleet’s “flying eye,” covers a broad spectrum of missions both above and below water. It complements the German Navy’s helicopter fleet with a significantly more capable asset for maritime deterrence, reconnaissance, and combat operations. In addition to the NH-90 NTH Sea Lion previously used in search and rescue operations, the Sea Tiger features a diving sonar system and a modern sonar buoy system for precise underwater situational awareness and submarine detection. The helicopter is also equipped with electro-optical sensors and camera systems for maritime surveillance and target acquisition.
The Sea Tiger and the P-8A Poseidon will contribute to an even better maritime situational awareness picture in the future – especially against the backdrop of increasing submarine activity and threats to critical maritime infrastructure.
The Sea Tiger will eventually replace the Mk88A Sea Lynx shipborne helicopter, which has been in service with the German Navy since 1981. For decades, the Sea Lynx helicopters formed the backbone of the Navy’s anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare capabilities.