Spanish Air Force

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Ejercito del Aire Spanish Air Force
Founded	7 October 1939
Country	Spain
Size	27.122 personnel 620 aircraft
Command HQ	Cuartel General del Ejército del Aire (CGEA)
March	Spanish Air Force Anthem
Commanders
Chief of the Air Staff	Chief of the Spanish Air Force
Insignia
Roundel
High and Low visibility Fin flashs
Aircraft flown
Attack	Mirage F1, F/A-18
Fighter	F/A-18, Eurofighter
Patrol	P-3 Orion, Fokker F27
Reconnaissance	Falcon 20
Trainer	F-5, CASA C-101, Beechcraft Bonanza, King Air, Colibrí
Transport	Hercules, CASA C-295, CASA CN-235, 707, A310, Cougar

The Spanish Air Force (Spanish: Ejército del Aire; literally, "Army of the Air") is the air force of Spain. It is one of the 3 branches of the Spanish Armed Forces and has the mission of defending the sovereignty and independence of Spain, its territorial integrity and constitutional freedoms, within airspace of Spain and its territories.

Contents 1 History 1.1 The beginnings 1.2 The Spanish Civil War 1.3 The Spanish Air Force 2 Air Bases 3 Order of Battle 3.1 Functional Structure 3.2 Operative Structure 3.3 Codification and numerals 4 Aircraft Inventory 4.1 On Order 5 Distinguished Spanish Air Aces 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] History

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

[edit] The beginnings

Although Spanish Military Aviation started with a balloon force in 1896, April 10, 1910 is the date when the Spanish military aviation was formally formed by means of a Royal Decree.

On November 5, 1913, during the war with Morocco, a Spanish expeditionary squadron became the first organized military air unit to see real combat during the first organized bombing in history.

[edit] The Spanish Civil War

During this war, the Spanish Military Aviation was divided in two: The Spanish Republic Air Forces (Fuerzas Aéreas de la República Española-FARE), created by the republican government and the National Aviation (Aviación Nacional), created by the army in revolt.

At first, the republican air forces had the control of the majority of the territory using the Soviet Polikarpov I-16, but the help received by Francisco Franco from Nazi Germany (Condor Legion) and Fascist Italy (Aviazione Legionaria) changed this.

In July 1936, the first German Junkers Ju-52 and Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM-81 arrived. In August were deployed the Fiat CR-32 and Heinkel He-51 fighters. Those planes helped the army in revolt to gain full control of the air.

[edit] The Spanish Air Force

The current Ejército del Aire (EdA) was not formed until October 7, 1939, at the end of the Spanish Civil War, as a successor to the Nationalist and Republican Air Forces. During World War II one air section, the "Blue Squadron" (Escuadrilla Azul), operated into the Division Azul, a Spanish volunteer group who fought alongside the Axis Powers on the Eastern Front.

On March 18, 1946, the first Spanish paratroop unit was created. It participated in the Ifni War during 1957 and 1958.

Links were established in the 1950s with the United States. Spain received its first jets, like the F-86 Sabre and Lockheed T-33 together with training and transport planes like the T-6 Texan, DC-3 and DC-4. This first age of jets was replaced in the 60's by newer fighters like the F-4C Phantom and F-5 Freedom Fighter

The organization and equipment of the Spanish Air Force was again modernised in the 1970s to prepare Spain's membership of NATO in 1982.

Planes like the Mirage III and Mirage F1 were bought from France and became the backbone of the Air Force during the 70's and part of the 80's until the arrival of the American F/A-18 which participated in the Kosovo War under NATO command, based in Aviano, Italy.

The Spanish Air Force is currently replacing older aircraft in the inventory with newer ones including the recently introduced Eurofighter Typhoon and the Airbus A400M airlifter manufactured with Spanish participation.

Its Aerobatic display team is the Patrulla Aguila, which flies the CASA C-101 Aviojet; while its helicopter display team flies the Eurocopter EC-120 Colibrí and it's called Patrulla Aspa.

[edit] Air Bases

Main article: List of Spanish Air Force bases

[edit] Order of Battle

See Also Spanish Air Force Order of Battle

[edit] Functional Structure

The basic organization of the Air Force is the following:

• Air Force Headquarters (CGEA). Madrid.
• Battle Air Command (MACOM). Headquarters in Torrejón Air Base, Madrid.
• General Air Command (MAGEN). Headquarters in Madrid.
• Canary Islands' Air Command (MACAN). Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
• Personnel Command (MAPER). Madrid.
• Logistics Support Command (MALOG). Madrid.

[edit] Operative Structure

The usual operative unit is the ALA (wing), composed by two or three ESCUADRONES (squadrons), each one of which is integrated by 18 to 24 airplanes. Thus, Ala 15, with base in Zaragoza Air Base, is formed by two squadrons with 18 F-18 each.

[edit] Codification and numerals

The planes used by the Spanish Air Force are identified with one or two letters followed by two numbers that appear painted on the fuselages. The first number corresponds to the unit to which they belong, and the second, to the order in which they were incorporated.

The letter or letters, correspond to the use given. Thus, C means cazabombardero (fighter bomber); A, ataque (attack); P, patrulla (patrol); T, transporte (transport); E, enseñanza (training); D, search and rescue; H, helicopter; K, cistern; V, Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL); and U, utilitarian.

Example: the F-18 with the C.15-08 numeral in the tail is the fifteenth type of fighter that arrived in the Spanish Air Force (the Eurofighter is the C.16) and is the eighth apparatus of this type to enter the SAF. On the nose or fuselage they have a numeral specific to the unit in which they are based. Example: the fourth F-18 arriving at Ala 12 will have in the nose the numeral 12-04.

Some versions of planes in service as two-seater versions or cistern versions of transports planes do add another letter to differentiate their function, and have an order of arrival to the Air Force different from other versions. Example: The CE.15-02 will be the second F-18 two-seater (Fighter and Training) delivered to the SAF.

[edit] Aircraft Inventory

Further information: List of aircraft of the Spanish Air Force

The Spanish Air Force operates a wide-ranging fleet of aircraft, everything from fighters to transport aircraft and passenger transports to helicopters. It currently maintains some 620 aircraft.^[1] The transport force role is taken by planes such as the C-130 Hercules and the CASA C-295. The Spanish Air Force also includes 35 helicopters like the Cougar and the Colibri. 180 fighter aircraft are incorporated into 9 alas (wings) charged with different missions. Finally, the Spanish Air Force has a fleet of aircraft, including the one manufactured in Spain CASA C-101, Beechcraft Bonanza and Enaer T-35C, to meet training requirements.^[2] These air assets are supported by ground units and a sophisticated infrastructure^[3]

The "Future backbone" of the Spanish Air Force will be mainly composed of the new generation fighter, the Eurofighter Typhoon.^[4]

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service[5]	Service entry[6]	Units
Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma	France	utility helicopter	SA 330	5 SAR	1974	801 Esc.
Airbus A310	France	VIP transport	A310-300	2	2003	45 Grupo
Beechcraft Bonanza	United States	trainer	F-33C	30	1974	42 Grupo Academia General del Aire
Beechcraft C-90 King Air	United States	VIP and liaison transport	Beechcraft C-90		1990	42 Grupo
Boeing 707	United States	aerial refuelling & transport	707-368C(KC)	3	1987	45 Grupo Centro Inteligencia Aérea
Canadair CL-215 Scooper	Canada	firefighting aircraft	CL-215T	15	1991	43 Grupo
Canadair CL-415 Superscooper	Canada	firefighting aircraft	CL-415	1 (of 10)	2006	43 Grupo
CASA C-101 Aviojet	Spain	jet-powered trainer	C-101EB-01	92	1980	Academia General del Aire Grupo de Escuelas de Matacán
CASA C.212 Aviocar	Spain	tactical transport & search & rescue	Series 100 Series 200 Series 300	74 T-12 3 VIP 10 T-12B 6 SAR	1974	Academia General del Aire Ala 37 801 Escuadrón Base Aérea de Alcantarilla Centro Cartográfico y Fotográfico (CECAF) 47 Grupo Mixto Grupo de Escuelas de Matacán Ala 48 721 Escuadrón Base Aérea de Son San Juan Centro Logístico de Armamento y Experimentación (CLAEX)
CASA CN-235	Spain  Indonesia	tactical transport	Series 100 Series 200 Series 300	20	1988	Ala 35
CASA C-295	Spain	tactical transport	C-295M	13	2000	Ala 35
Cessna Citation	United States	VIP transport	Citation V	2	1992	Centro Cartográfico y Fotográfico
Dassault Falcon 20	France	VIP transport & ILS Calibrations	Mystère 20	3	1970	45 Grupo Centro Inteligencia Aérea
Dassault Falcon 50	France	VIP transport	Mystère 50	4	1979	45 Grupo Centro Inteligencia Aérea
Dassault Falcon 900	France	VIP transport	Falcon 900	2	1988	45 Grupo
Dassault Mirage F1	France	fighter/attack	Mirage F1M	46	1975	Ala 14
Dornier Do 27	Spain/ Germany	light utility aircraft	CASA-127	61	1960	Academia Básica del Aire Academia General del Aire Ala 12 Ala 14
ENAER T-35C Pillán	Chile	trainer	T-35C	40	1987	Academia General del Aire
Eurocopter EC 120 Colibri	France	light utility helicopter	EC 120B	15	2000	Ala 78
Eurocopter AS 532 Cougar	France	medium utility helicopter	AS 532	10 SAR 2 VIP	1982	Ala 46 Ala 48
Eurofighter Typhoon	European Union	multirole fighter	Tranche 1	18 (of 87)	2003	Ala 11
Fokker F27 Maritime	Netherlands	maritime Reconnaissance	F27 Maritime	3	1979	802 Escuadrón
Lockheed C-130 Hercules	United States	tactical transport	C-130H KC-130H	7 5	1973	Ala 31
Lockheed P-3 Orion	United States	maritime patrol aircraft	P-3A P-3B	2 5	1973	Ala 11
McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet	United States	multirole fighter	F-18M F-18A+	67 22	1986	Ala 12 Ala 15 Ala 46
Northrop F-5 Tiger II	United States  Spain	fighter-bomber	F-5M	22	1970	Ala 23
Sikorsky S-76 Spirit	United States	mid size utility helicopter	Sikorsky S-76C	8	1977	Ala 78

[edit] On Order

• 27 Airbus Military A400M ^[7]
• 87 Eurofighter Typhoon - 71 Single-seat and 16 two-seat ^[8]
• 28 NHIndustries NH90 - tactical transport and search and rescue ^[9]

[edit] Distinguished Spanish Air Aces

• Luis Alcocer Moreno-Abellá
• M. Joaquín García-Morato y Castano
• Julio Salvador Diáz-Benjumea
• Manuel Vázquez Sagastizábal
• Miguel Guerrero García
• Miguel García Pardo
• Arístides García López
• Carlos Bayo Alessandri
• Abundio Cesteros García
• Narciso Bermúdez de Castro
• Vincente Aldecoa Lecanda
• Antonio Alós Herrero
• Mariano Cuadra Medina
• Lucas Fernandez Peña
• Gonzalo Hevia Alvarez-Quinones
• Fernando Sanchez-Arjona Courtoy

[edit] See also

• List of F-104 Starfighter operators

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• (Spanish) Home page of the Spanish Air Force
• (Spanish) Unofficial Spanish Air Force page
• (Spanish) Foro Militar General (a great Spanish Military forum)

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