Too expensive, the Ministry of the Armed Forces does not favor the purchase of heavy transport helicopters "for the moment"

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If it honored the NH-90 Caiman TTH in its communication around the recent Falcon Amarante exercise, the 11th Parachute Brigade [BP] also did not forget to highlight the contribution of heavy transport helicopters [HTL] Royal Air Force [RAF] CH-47 Chinooks, with photographs of these aircraft circulating via social media.

If, across the Channel, it was decided to order 14 H-47 Chinook ER [Extended Range] to replace the oldest CH-47s, the French forces are still waiting to have heavy transport helicopters. And this is especially true for the Special Operations Command [COS], for which the acquisition of such devices would make it possible "to consider new modes of action, better able to counter future threats, at the same level as our allies across the Atlantic and in Europe", according to one of its former leaders.

Moreover, in a report published in 2014, the Senate had admitted this need, to the point of pleading for the purchase of devices of this type, even second-hand. What's more, the British CH-47s and EH101 Merlins engaged in Operation Barkhane over the past few years quickly proved to be essential. Thus, the three aircraft engaged by the RAF performed more than 2,000 flights between August 2018 and May 2020.

Be that as it may, and this may have given rise to some bickering between the Army and the Air & Space Force [AAE] at the time of its development, the Military Programming Law [ LPM] skipped the purchase of heavy-lift helicopters.

However, during a court hearing, General Philippe Lavigne, then Chief of Staff of the Air & Space Force [CEMAA] had admitted that HTLs would be useful, all the more that they would make it possible to support the A400M Atlas transport aircraft after the withdrawal of the Transall C-160s, in particular by operating in areas that are difficult to access.

“We are seeing the full benefit of heavy lift helicopters in Operation Barkhane […] In liaison with partners such as Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom, we are examining the possibility of training pilots and thinking in parallel with the rental of this type of capacity”, had then indicated the CEMAAE.

Hence, moreover, the idea, put forward by the AAE in February 2020, of renting a few HTLs by leasing in order to try them out before possibly proceeding with a heritage acquisition. The MH-47G, a variant of the CH-47 developed for special forces, then held the rope. And since then, this project fell into oblivion.

In an answer to a written question posed by MP Bernard Boulay who was worried about a "gaping capacity hole" in terms of transport helicopters at a time when we hardly speak of "high intensity", the Ministry of the Armed Forces ruled out the “own” acquisition of such devices.

“While the operational contribution of this capacity is undeniable, the prioritization carried out for the current LPM did not allow this option to be retained. However, the need for HTL is now met on an ad hoc basis through cooperation,” noted the Ministry of the Armed Forces, stressing that “many NATO countries and European partners […] have aircraft weighing more than 13 tonnes, mainly the Chinook CH-47 [United States, Italy, Great Britain, Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey…] and the Sikorsky CH-53 [United States, Germany]”.

In addition, he continued, the "NH-90 Caiman today provides significant transport capacity thanks to its superior capabilities to Puma, Cougar and Caracal helicopters". However, he conceded, "the General Staff is studying options to supplement its air transport capabilities, in particular for special forces". Should we deduce that the rental of such devices is still on the table? In any case, he concluded, "the acquisition of HTL itself is however not preferred for the moment given its cost and the need for other tactical mobility capabilities deemed a priority".