First German NH90s arrive in Mali

THE FIRST two Heeresflieger (German Army Aviation) NH90s have arrived in Mali. The helicopters were flown in from Leipzig/ Halle Airport, Germany, on board an An-124 to join the UN-led Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) – see Germany takes on Mali role, March 2017, p10. They forward deployed to Gao on February 1. The full German deployment will comprise four NH90s and four Tigers, which will remain until mid-2018. They are replacing Dutch Apaches and Chinooks, of which