A delegation from FMV and the Swedish Armed Forces has traveled to France this week to participate in a handover ceremony marking the final delivery of Helicopter 14. The last of a total of 18 helicopters is the 14F model, which can be used for anti-submarine warfare. Now, a several-day-long flight from France to Sweden awaits, where the two authorities will conduct delivery checks before it can be added to the Swedish Armed Forces' wartime organization, according to a press release from FMV.

– The cooperation project around Helicopter 14 is a multinational development project that aims, among other things, to achieve common technical solutions and support services as well as cost-sharing. It can be likened to an extension of FMV when it comes to procurement and contracting, says Lena Matz, liaison officer in France at FMV, in the press release.

FMV has already delivered all the land operational helicopters, called HKP 14E, which differ from the sea operational ones called HKP 14F. According to the Swedish Armed Forces' website, the sea operational model is equipped with sonar and radar, allowing it to be used for anti-submarine warfare. Last year, several helicopters were delivered to Sweden.

– This ceremony marks the end of the modification process that has been ongoing for several years, where we upgrade the helicopters, both the land versions and this maritime version, to the full operational capability that the Swedish Armed Forces have ordered, says Brigadier General Lars Helmrich, head of aviation and space materials at FMV.