ABSTRACT
The NH90 is the largest collaborative helicopter developed among European governments and defence firms. The chapter investigates the main phases of the NH90 development, in order to identify the preferences of France, Germany, Italy and the UK towards this complex European collaborative programme. In order to shed light on the tortuous decision-making process that has characterized the programme, the chapter is structured as follows: first, it specifies the main organizational and managerial features of the NH90 project. The second section investigates European governments’ and firms’ preferences towards the NH90. Finally, the last section discusses whether the public or private governance of defence-industrial ecosystems, as well as the market size of the countries involved, have had an impact on European governments’ and defence firms’ preferences towards the NH90.
