Spanish Air Force

Ejército del Aire
Coat of arms of the Spanish Air Force
Lineup	October 7, 1939
Country	Spain
Armed forces	Spanish armed forces
Type	Armed forces ( air forces )
Headquarters Cuartel General del Ejército del Aire	Madrid
Patron saint	Madonna of Loreto
Wars	Ifni War Yugoslav Wars Kosovo War Civil War in Libya
management
Jefe de Estado Mayor del Ejército del Aire	General Javier Salto
insignia
Aircraft cockade
National emblem ( vertical stabilizer )

The Ejército del Aire are the air forces of the Spanish armed forces . Together with the Armada Española (Navy) and the Ejército de Tierra (Army), they form the Spanish armed forces . The Ejército del Aire currently has around 27,000 professional soldiers and 650 aircraft .

history

Beginning of military aviation

See also : Aeronáutica Militar Española

Lohner arrow flier with Spanish national emblem

On April 2nd, 1910, military aviation was launched in Spain by royal decree. A squadron of four arrow pilots from the Austrian aircraft manufacturer Ludwig Lohner, led by Captain Alfredo Kindelán, carried out one of the world's first bombing of a squadron over Tetuán on December 17, 1913 . One of the pilots was the Infante Don Alfonso de Orleans. Other members of the squadron were Captain Barrón, who constructed a machine himself (Barrón -W-), and Captain Cifuentes. The bombs were thrown from the machines by hand.

In 1924, the Cierva C.6, developed by the Spanish aviation pioneer Juan de la Cierva , was the first gyroplane ( sp. Autogiro ) in history to enter the service of an armed force. This rotorcraft could also operate from seaplane and airship carriers; the first successful take-off and landing maneuver of this kind was carried out on the Dédalo in 1934 .

Civil war

Bf 109C of the Condor Legion

During the Spanish Civil War , military aviation was divided into the Fuerzas Aéreas de la República Española (FARE, German: Air Force of the Spanish Republic ) and the Aviación Nacional (National Air Force) of the coup plotters under General Franco . While the government troops were mainly supplied with Polikarpow I-15 and I-16 and Tupolev SB-2 from the Soviet side, the putschists' air force relied on help from Germany ( Condor Legion ), largely consisting of Junkers Ju 52 and Heinkel He 111 and He 51 , as well as Italy ( Aviazione Legionaria ), which mainly consisted of Fiat CR.32 and Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 . However, the later use of the Messerschmitt Bf 109, which was technically superior at the time, was decisive for the outcome of the air war in favor of the national forces .

Armed forces

On October 7, 1939, the Ejército del Aire got the official status of a military service . It was largely made up of the holdings of the FARE and Aviación Nacional left over from the civil war, plus the Dornier Do 24 and Junkers Ju 88 bought by the German Reich . Between 1941 and 1943, Spanish aircraft took part in the Blue Division as Escuadrilla Azul (German Blue Squadron) under the command of Wolfram von Richthofen in the Russian campaign.

Franco period after 1945

Lockheed T-33 of the Spanish Air Force

After the end of the Second World War , the Spanish aircraft manufacturers Hispano Aviación SA and CASA began to produce various German machines under license, until a contract signed with the United States in 1953 enabled the delivery of more modern materials. At that time, the Air Force received jet fighters for the first time with the North American F-86 and Lockheed T-33 . However, due to a clause, these could not be used in the Ifni War (1957-58), which is why Spain, ultimately successfully, used completely outdated He 111, Ju 52 and Bf-109.

HA-200 "Saeta"

At the same time, the Spanish company Hispano Aviación SA developed the HA-200 Saeta (arrow), a twin- engine trainer and light ground attack aircraft, as the successor to the American T-6 Texan . It was designed by a German-Spanish team under the direction of Willy Messerschmitt . It was the first jet fighter developed and built in Spain, it was to remain in service until 1982 and was also in combat action in Western Sahara in 1974 in the course of the armed conflict between Spain and the Polisario Front.

The US ban on using the fighters it supplied during the Ifni War and in the conflict with the Polisario Front led to a rethink in the Spanish Air Force and, as a result, to the increased purchase of European fighter planes. From the beginning of the 1970s, old stocks of F-86, T-33 and the Lockheed F-104 added in 1965 were replaced by Mirage III and from 1975 Mirage F1 .

Democracy and NATO accession

Spanish F / A-18 Hornet

After Francisco Franco's death , Spain became a democracy and broke away from its isolationism. This led to Spain joining NATO in 1982. This enabled the decision to purchase the F / A-18 Hornet , the most modern multi-role fighter in the western world at the time. In an initial order, a total of 72 new aircraft were delivered between 1983 and 1990, followed by 24 more aircraft from the United States Navy between 1994 and 1995 . The Spanish F / A-18s made their first combat mission during Operation Deliberate Force .

On September 2, 1985, Spain joined the European Fighter Aircraft (EFA) program, from which the Eurofighter EF 2000 emerged . The Ejército del Aire ordered 87 aircraft, with the procurement of 14 from tranche 3b still open. Two squadrons were set up in the Ala 11 squadrons in Morón de la Frontera and Ala 14 in Albacete . In addition, another season in Morón is used for training. The first aircraft entered service in October 2004, and 69 aircraft had been delivered by December 2018, 66 of which are in active service. The delivery of four more aircraft is still pending.

Another European project with Spanish participation is that of the tactical transport aircraft Airbus A400M . Spain ordered 27 machines, the first of which went into service on November 17, 2016.

On February 14, 2019, Spain joined the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a program to develop manned and unmanned sixth generation multi-role combat aircraft, as well as new weapons and communication systems.

assignment

Ensuring the territorial integrity of Spain, air defense and provision of the air component of the Spanish armed forces.

organization

Spanish Air Force Headquarters ( Madrid ).

The central operational association of the Spanish Air Force is the squadron (sp. "Ala", German wing ), which is comparable to a regiment in the army. This in turn is divided into two or three squadrons (sp. "Escuadrón") (consisting of 18-24 aircraft).

Management bodies and associations

At the head of the Spanish Air Force is the Jefe de Estado Mayor del Ejército del Aire (JEMA). He is subordinate to three main and three sub-commands:

• Fuerza Aérea : Organizes and monitors operations and ensures the highest possible level of readiness for all subordinate associations. Is divided in:
  • Mando Aéreo de Combate (MACOM): Organizes and monitors combat operations
  • Mando Aéreo de Canarias (MACAN): Organizes and monitors combat operations and logistics in the Canary Islands
  • Mando Aéreo General (MAGEN): Operation of all Spanish air bases
• Apoyo a la Fuerza : is responsible for the entire technical, logistical and administrative operation
• Cuartel General : coordination and liaison between the commandos and the Jefe de Estado Mayor del Ejército del Aire (JEMA)

bases

The Spanish Ejercito del Aire has military airfields on the Iberian Peninsula and the islands.

• Base Aérea de Alcantarilla , Murcia region
• Base Aérea de Armilla , Province of Granada
• Base Aérea de Cuatro Vientos , Community of Madrid
• Base Aérea de Gando , Las Palmas Province
• Base Aérea de Getafe , Community of Madrid
• Aeródromo Militar de Lanzarote , Las Palmas Province
• Base Aérea de Los Llanos , Albacete Province
• Base Aérea de Málaga , Province of Málaga
• Base Aérea de Matacán , Salamanca Province
• Base Aérea de Morón , Province of Seville
• Aeródromo Militar de Pollensa , Balearic Islands
• Base Aérea de San Javier , Murcia region
• Aeródromo Militar de Santiago , A Coruña Province
• Base Aérea de Son San Juan , Balearic Islands
• Base Aérea de Talavera la Real , Badajoz province
• Base Aérea de Torrejón , Community of Madrid
• Base Aérea de Villanubla , Province of Valladolid
• Base Aérea de Zaragoza , Zaragoza Province

Ranks

Officers

NATO code	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1		OF-D
Spain
	Captain General 1	General del Aire 2	Teniente general	General de División	General de Brigada	Coronel	Teniente Coronel	Comandante	Capitan	Teniente	Alférez
1 Only dressed by the Spanish king as commander in chief of the armed forces. 2 Dressed only by the Chief of Staff (JEMAD) and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force (JEMA).

NCOs and men

NATO code	OR-9						OR-8		OR-7		OR-6						OR-5						OR-4		OR-3		OR-2						OR-1
Spain
	Suboficial mayor			Subtenient			Brigada		Sargento primero		Sargento						Cabo mayor						Cabo primero		Cabo		Soldado de primera						Soldado

Recruitment and training

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equipment

Current aircraft

The Spanish military uses an alpha-numeric abbreviation to differentiate between its aircraft types. The letter indicates the intended use followed by a sequential number. There are u. a. A Ataque ( attack aircraft), C Caza-bombardero (fighter-bomber), D SAR , E Enseñanza (training), P Patrulla , T Transporte , U Utilitarian (multi-purpose) and V VTOL (vertical take-off), helicopters are prefixed with H.

Aircraft	photo	origin	use	In service	Remarks
Warplanes
Eurofighter Typhoon (C-16)		United Kingdom Germany Italy Spain	Multipurpose fighter aircraft	70
F / A-18 Hornet (C-15)		United States	Multipurpose fighter aircraft	85	EF-18A + / B +
Maritime patrol
P-3 Orion (P-3)		United States	Sea scouts and submarine hunters	3	3 P-3M
Transport aircraft
Airbus A400M (T-23)		Germany France Spain United Kingdom	Tactical transport aircraft	8th	another 6 coming. Of the total of 27 aircraft ordered, construction was postponed from 13 to after 2024. According to current plans, these machines are intended for export.
C-130 Hercules (T-10)		United States	Tactical transport aircraft	11	including 5 KC-130H for air refueling (TK-10)
CASA C-295 (T-21)		Spain	Tactical transport aircraft	13
CASA CN-235 (T-19)		Spain Indonesia	Tactical transport aircraft / maritime patrol	18th	8 of them in the Persuader version used as sea ​​reconnaissance aircraft (D-4)
CASA C-212 Aviocar (T-12)		Spain	Tactical transport aircraft / trainer aircraft / SAR	7th	1 of which electronic warfare (TM-12)
Airbus A310 (T-22)		Germany France Spain United Kingdom	Transport plane	2	Use as a government aircraft
Dassault Falcon 900 (T-18)		France	Transport plane	5	VIP transportation
Dassault Falcon 20 (T-11)		France	Transport aircraft / electronic warfare	2	1 of which Falcon 20ECM for electronic warfare
Cessna Citation V (TR-20)		United States	Transport aircraft / aerial photography	3
King Air C-90 (U-22)		United States	Transport plane	4th
Training aircraft & helicopters
CASA C-101 Aviojet (E-25)		Spain	jet-powered school and light ground attack aircraft	63	7 of them in the aerobatic team Patrulla Águila
Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter (AE-9)		United States	jet-powered school and light ground attack aircraft	19th
Enaer T-35 Tamiz (E-26)		Chile	Trainer aircraft	35
Beechcraft F-33C Bonanza (E-24)		United States	Trainer aircraft	16
Eurocopter EC 120 Colibri (HE-25)		France Germany	School helicopter	15th	six of them in the aerobatic team Patrulla ASPA
Sikorsky S-76 (HE-24)		United States	School helicopter	8th
Search and rescue
Aérospatiale AS 332 Super Puma and AS 532 Cougar (HD-21, HT-21, HT-27)		France	Search and rescue / VIP transportation	18th
Fire fighting aircraft
Canadair CL-415 (UD-14)		Canada	Fire-fighting aircraft	4th	from the UME operated
Canadair CL-215 (UD-13T)		Canada	Fire-fighting aircraft	14th	from the UME operated

New acquisitions

plane	photo	origin	Type	Ordered	Remarks
Pilatus PC-21 (E-27)		Switzerland	Trainer aircraft	24	Delivery planned from 2020
MQ-9 Reaper (NR-05)		United States	Unmanned aerial vehicle	4th	Delivery planned from 2020
NH90 TTH (HT-29)		Germany France Italy Netherlands	Tactical transport helicopter	6th	Delivery planned from 2020

As part of a long-term plan that became known in March 2015, the number of different types of helicopters is to be reduced to four for all Spanish branches by 2040. For the air force, this only includes the NH90 and the H135 from Airbus Helicopters for training . Today's Airbus H120 and Sikorsky S-76C school helicopters are expected to be decommissioned around 2027. Super Puma and Cougar first have to be modernized, as the Air Force's NH90 procurement is currently on hold.

Aerobatic teams

The Patrulla Águila draws the Spanish flag in the sky

The Patrulla ASPA at an air show in Gijón

Patrulla Águila

Main article: Patrulla Águila

The Patrulla Águila (German: eagle patrol ) is the aerobatic team of the Spanish Air Force. It was founded on July 4, 1985, is now stationed at the San Javier Air Force Base near La Manga del Mar Menor and flies seven Spanish CASA C 101 Aviojet from there . It succeeded the first aerobatic team of the Spanish Air Force, founded in 1956, called Ascua . This flew North American F-86F Saber . The four machines received no separate paint or markings. First appearances took place in 1956 in Rome , among other places . The last known appearance of the group called Ascua took place in 1962 on the German Spangdahlem Air Base .

Patrulla ASPA

Main article: Patrulla ASPA

The Patrulla ASPA (ASPA the abbreviation stands for the pilots' union Asociación Sindical de Pilotos de Aviacion and is congruent with the Spanish word aspa , German  rotor blade ) is the helicopter - aerobatic team of the Spanish air forces. It was founded on September 23, 2003 and consists of six Eurocopter EC 120s with two pilots each. The helicopter aerobatic team made its first appearance on May 16, 2004 in Seville . The Patrulla ASPA is stationed at the Armilla Air Force Base near Granada .

See also

• Historic aircraft of the Spanish Air Force
• Spanish Air Force aircraft

Web links

Commons : Ejército del Aire  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website (Spanish / English)
• L. Utrilla Navarro: LA AERONÁUTICA ESPAÑOLA DE 1898 A 1936 (PDF, 27 p .; 843 kB)
• La aviacion espanola en la Campana de Marruecos (1913-1927) (PDF, 12 pages)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ www.defensa.gob.es: Defensa pondrá en marcha tres programas militares con una inversión de 7,331 million de euros. December 14, 2018, accessed February 17, 2019 . 
2. ^ Order of Battle - Spain. (No longer available online.) In: milaviapress.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011 ; accessed on February 22, 2011 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ LOCKHEED P-3 -ORION- ( Memento of the original from December 25th, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , on ejercitodelaire.mde.es (Spanish) 
4. ↑ AIRBUS A400M PRODUCTION LIST. In: www.abcdlist.nl. April 28, 2020, accessed on April 29, 2020 . 
5. ↑ http://www.planepictures.net/netshow.php?id=94182 picture of the machine.