Commander of French army aviation, Maj. Gen. Olivier de la Motte, revealed that his country is discussing with Australia over the potential joint requirement for a special forces variant of the NH90.
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By Perrin JC (P1090302) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Such a variant will require modifications such as a central trapdoor for fast roping, a rear door gun and changes to the communications suite to the rotor-craft.
The French Army is using the EC725 for such missions while the Australians rely on the Sikorsky S-70. Both sides will have to switch to a new helicopter in the next decade.
Both are operators of the NH90 and by teaming up, they can share the financial burden of modifying a small pool of NH90s.