Aviação Naval Espanhola
The Spanish Naval Air Arm — the Armada’s Flotilla de Aeronaves at Rota — dates its lineage to a royal decree of 15 September 1917, vanished into the new air force in 1939, was reborn with three Bell 47 helicopters in 1954, and since 1976 has kept Spain in the small club of navies that fly fixed-wing jets from ships; in 2026 its last Harriers fly from the Juan Carlos I with no successor bought, while NH90s, H135s and MH-60Rs renew the helicopter fleet.
The Spanish Naval Air Arm story: a seaplane carrier at Alhucemas, three helicopters in 1954 and the last Harriers
1917–1939: Aeronáutica Naval, the Dédalo and Alhucemas
The Armada’s own history dates Spanish naval aviation to a royal decree of Alfonso XIII on 15 September 1917. Captain Pedro María Cardona Prieto organised it from April 1918, with a flying school at first in Barcelona and seaplane stations at Mahón, Marín and Mar Chica before San Javier became the permanent home. Its showpiece was the Dédalo, a German cargo ship seized in 1918 and converted in Barcelona into a seaplane and airship carrier; the Armada says she was operational in May 1922 and could handle some 20 seaplanes. On 8 September 1925 her Supermarine Scarab flying boats and an airship bombed in support of the Alhucemas landing in the Rif War, which the Armada calls the first air-naval landing in history. On 7 March 1934 Juan de la Cierva flew his autogyro on and off her deck. By 1936 the service had about a hundred aircraft; the Civil War and the creation of the air force in 1939 ended it completely.
1939–1963: abolished, then reborn with three helicopters
For fifteen years Spain’s navy had no aircraft. The turn came with the 1953 agreements with the United States, signed on 23 September, which also gave the Americans the naval base at Rota. On 1 January 1954 three Bell 47 helicopters arrived at Vigo, and on 19 June 1954 the first flight was made from a sports ground at Marín. In 1955 a helicopter landed on a ship under way, the tug RR-29, fitted with a wooden platform. The Sikorsky S-55 followed and in 1957 the unit moved to the new base at Rota, where it has stayed. A helicopter flotilla was formally set up in 1963, with the first and second squadrons; the third (7 October 1964), fourth (21 October 1964) and fifth (February 1966) followed with Agusta-Bell 204s, light aircraft and six SH-3D Sea Kings. It was a helicopter navy: modest, American-trained and built around anti-submarine work.
1967–1987: a second Dédalo and the Matador
The step to jets came through a ship. The United States lent Spain the light carrier USS Cabot on 30 August 1967 and sold it on 5 December 1972, according to Wikipedia; as Dédalo (PH-01) she was first a helicopter carrier. A Harrier demonstration on her deck on 8 November 1972 persuaded the Armada, and the first aircraft were ordered through the US Navy. In December 1976, the Armada records, Dédalo berthed at Rota with the first seven AV-8A Harriers, named Matador; the service took the name Flotilla de Aeronaves. Sources give 12 to 15 Matadors in all, including five later bought directly from Britain, largely to replace losses. The seventies also brought eight AH-1G HueyCobras, used to support coastal patrol boats; Wikipedia says four were lost in accidents before the rest were retired in 1985. The Piper light aircraft flew from 25 January 1977.
1987–2013: Harrier II, the Príncipe de Asturias and the SH-60B
Spain was the first export customer for the AV-8B, ordering 12 in March 1983; the first reached Rota in 1987 (6 October, per Wikipedia). The Príncipe de Asturias, ordered in 1977 and commissioned on 30 May 1988, carried them, and the old Dédalo was struck in August 1989. Six SH-60B Seahawks arrived on 22 December 1988 for the new 10th Squadron, with six Block I aircraft in October 2002. Under a 1990 agreement with the United States and Italy, Spain ordered eight AV-8B Plus with radar and a TAV-8B trainer in March 1993; CASA assembled them in Seville and they joined in 1996–97, while older aircraft were rebuilt to Plus standard until December 2003. The Matadors went to Thailand. In the 1990s the carrier group worked in the Adriatic, and the helicopters flew in the Sharp Guard embargo; whether Spanish Harriers flew over Bosnia is claimed by Wikipedia but not by the Armada’s pages.
2013–2026: one ship, ageing Harriers and a new generation of helicopters
The Príncipe de Asturias was decommissioned on 6 February 2013, leaving the amphibious ship Juan Carlos I, commissioned on 30 September 2010, as the only deck for the Harriers. The Armada’s 9th Squadron page lists 12 AV-8B Plus and one TAV-8B; Wikipedia and the specialist site Aeronaves Militares Españolas give 10 plus one. A two-seater came from the US Marine Corps in 2021 and, per that site, five ex-USMC airframes for spares in 2025. The helicopter fleet has been rebuilt: second-hand SH-60Fs from 2017, the Sea Kings retired in 2022 and the AB-212s in 2024 (Aeronaves Militares Españolas), seven H135s for a new 12th Squadron from December 2023, and NH90s for the 14th Squadron from 24 July 2025. The 5th Squadron was disbanded in November 2025 and its six SH-60Fs moved to the 10th. The 11th Squadron has flown ScanEagle drones since 2014, over the Indian Ocean and, from 2017 to 2019, in Iraq.
The F-35B question: what is decided and what is only reported
What is still missing is a fixed-wing future. The only replacement that fits the Juan Carlos I is the F-35B, and on 6 August 2025 the Argentine-based outlet Zona Militar, citing unnamed official sources, reported that the government had shelved any F-35 purchase; the Spanish government made no formal announcement that could be found. Wikipedia’s ship article, citing that report, concludes that carrier fixed-wing flying would end around 2030. Aeronaves Militares Españolas reports that the Secretary of State for Defence confirmed in May 2026 that Harrier operations will end in 2032. Either way the Armada has chosen, for now, to keep the jets flying on second-hand parts rather than buy a successor, and unless that changes it will face the 2030s with helicopters and drones only on its decks. The helicopter side is the opposite story: the Sea King, the AB-212 and the Hughes 500 have already given way to SH-60Fs, NH90s and H135s, and the MH-60R is due to replace the SH-60B, the most thorough renewal of the fleet since 1988.
The Spanish Naval Air Arm in numbers
Serviço
- Nome nativo
- Flotilla de Aeronaves (FLOAN)The Armada’s own pages call the air arm the Flotilla de Aeronaves; Arma Aérea de la Armada is the descriptive name used in Spanish reference works. The English Wikipedia covers it as the section "Spanish Naval Air Arm" of its Spanish Navy article
- Fundada
- 15 September 1917Royal decree of Alfonso XIII creating Aeronáutica Naval. Abolished with the creation of the air force in 1939; reborn with three Bell 47s delivered on 1 January 1954, first flight 19 June 1954
- Parte de
- Armada Española (Spanish Navy)The Flotilla de Aeronaves is part of the Fleet; its squadrons are numbered escuadrillas
- Sede
- Rota naval base, CádizAt Rota since 1957; the base, shared with the US Navy under the 1953 agreements, is under Spanish command. The FLOAN headquarters was named after Admiral General Saturnino Suanzes de la Hidalga in 2007
- Chefe do Estado-Maior da Marinha
- Adm. Gen. Antonio Piñeiro SánchezAJEMA since 25 April 2023 per Wikipedia; the commander of the Flotilla de Aeronaves was not confirmed
- Porta-aviões
- Juan Carlos I (L-61)Strategic projection ship commissioned 30 September 2010; the only Spanish deck for the Harrier since the Príncipe de Asturias was decommissioned on 6 February 2013
Força
- Aeronaves de combate
-
- AV-8B Harrier II Plus — 10–12
- TAV-8B Harrier II — 1
The Armada’s 9th Squadron page gives 12 AV-8B Plus and one TAV-8B; Wikipedia and Aeronaves Militares Españolas give 10 plus one, so the flying fleet is 11–13
- Helicópteros
-
- SH-60B Seahawk — 12 bought
- SH-60F Seahawk — 6–7 (8 bought)
- H135 P3H — 7
- NH90 MSPT — 2–4 delivered
SH-60B and SH-60F with the 10th Squadron, H135 with the 12th and NH90 with the 14th. Counts are the Armada’s where it gives one; the NH90 count is from Aeronaves Militares Españolas
- Fixed-wing support
-
- Cessna 550 Citation II — 3 bought
- Cessna 650 Citation VII — 1
4th Squadron, 36 personnel. Aeronaves Militares Españolas reports two Citation IIs still flying and a Pilatus PC-24 replacement expected in 2026–27
- Aeronaves não tripuladas
- ScanEagle (11th Squadron)Squadron formed 10 July 2014, 68 personnel; also operates SCRAB-II target drones. Aeronaves Militares Españolas counts four systems and 14 air vehicles by 2023
- Harrier flying hours
- More than 50,000The 9th Squadron’s own figure for the AV-8B; the squadron has more than 100 personnel
- Pessoal
- Squadron figures published: 9th more than 100, 11th 68, 4th 36. No official total for the flotilla was found
Infraestrutura
- Base principal
- Rota naval baseAll squadrons are at Rota; the 9th Squadron uses hangar 9, the westernmost of the FLOAN. The ScanEagle squadron started at Torregorda, Cádiz, according to Aeronaves Militares Españolas
- Ships with aircraft
- Juan Carlos I plus escorts and amphibious shipsHelicopters and ScanEagles deploy on frigates, the Galicia-class docks and the Patiño; the Juan Carlos I can carry up to 25 AV-8B/F-35B-size aircraft in a pure combat fit per Wikipedia
- Antigos transportadores
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- Dédalo — 1922–1934
- Dédalo (PH-01, ex-USS Cabot) — 1967–1989
- Príncipe de Asturias (R-11) — 1988–2013
Seaplane carrier (1922), helicopter and Harrier carrier (1967–1989) and the first purpose-built Spanish carrier (1988–2013)
- Estações históricas
-
- Barcelona — first flying school
- San Javier — permanent base
- Marín, Mahón, Mar Chica (Melilla)
Stations of the Aeronáutica Naval before 1939, per the Armada
- Active squadrons
- Seis4th (Citation), 9th (AV-8B Plus), 10th (SH-60B/F), 11th (ScanEagle), 12th (H135), 14th (NH90). The 5th was disbanded in November 2025; the 3rd (AB-212) and 5th fed the 14th
How the Spanish Naval Air Arm is organised
One flotilla, part of the Fleet, with six squadrons numbered as escuadrillas. Every manned squadron flies from Rota: the Harriers of the 9th, the Seahawks of the 10th, the H135s of the 12th, the NH90s of the 14th and the Citations of the 4th; only the ScanEagle drones of the 11th are kept at Torregorda. Army helicopters and the Air and Space Force are separate services and are not counted here.
Flotilla de Aeronaves
The Armada’s air arm, part of the Fleet, led by a Comandante de la Flotilla de Aeronaves whose name could not be confirmed on an official page. It took the name in 1976, when the first Harriers arrived, and its headquarters has been named after Admiral General Saturnino Suanzes de la Hidalga since 2007. The head of the Navy is Admiral General Antonio Piñeiro Sánchez.
9º Esquadrão
Spain’s only carrier jets: AV-8B Plus Harriers and a TAV-8B, 12 plus one by the Armada’s count and 10 plus one by Wikipedia’s, flown from the Juan Carlos I; more than 50,000 AV-8B hours. No successor has been ordered, and Aeronaves Militares Españolas reports that Harrier operations are to end in 2032.
10th Squadron
SH-60B Seahawks since 22 December 1988, flying from the frigates, and since November 2025 the SH-60Fs of the disbanded 5th Squadron. Eight MH-60Rs are to replace the SH-60B, the first expected in October 2026.
14º Esquadrão
Created on 23 April 2024 from personnel of the 3rd and 5th Squadrons for the NH90: tactical troop lift in amphibious operations, search and rescue and medical evacuation. The first two NH90s were handed over on 24 July 2025, and the Armada plans seven by 2027.
12º Esquadrão
Created on 6 February 2023 for training, pilot selection and ship support, with seven H135s that replaced the Hughes 500s of the 6th Squadron; the first two arrived in December 2023 and the first deployment, on the Cantabria, followed in late 2024.
11th Squadron
ScanEagle drones launched and recovered from ships, and SCRAB-II target drones; created on 10 July 2014, with 68 personnel. Detachments have flown on Operation Atalanta and, from 2017 to 2019, for Inherent Resolve in Iraq.
4º Esquadrão
Citation II and Citation VII jets for maritime surveillance, liaison and VIP transport, activated on 21 October 1964, with 36 personnel. Aeronaves Militares Españolas expects a Pilatus PC-24 to replace the Citation in 2026–27.
What the Spanish Naval Air Arm flies today
Cada tipo de cobrança, com link para sua página no Livro das Feras, quando houver. Os números indicam as aeronaves registradas, não as aeronaves disponíveis em um determinado dia.
| Tipo | Papel | Em serviço | Desde | Unidades | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) AV-8B Harrier II PlusEm serviço | Carrier-borne V/STOL attack fighter | 1996 | 10–12. The Armada’s 9th Squadron page lists 12 AV-8B Plus; Wikipedia and Aeronaves Militares Españolas list 10.
MaisEight were new-build (ordered March 1993, delivered 1996–97) and the rest rebuilt from the original AV-8Bs; the number rebuilt is given as 5 to 11 by different sources. |
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| McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) TAV-8B Harrier IIEm serviço | Two-seat conversion trainer | 1 | 2000 | One, per the Armada and Wikipedia.
MaisThe two-seater ordered in 1993 was delivered in 2000 per Aeronaves Militares Españolas; a further TAV-8B bought from the US Marine Corps was shown in March 2021. Whether both are on strength was not confirmed. |
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| Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk (LAMPS III Block I)Em serviço | Shipborne anti-submarine and multi-role helicopter | 12 | 1988 | 12 bought: six received on 22 December 1988 and six Block I in October 2002. Aeronaves Militares Españolas says only six were operational in 2026. | ||
| Sikorsky SH-60F SeahawkEm serviço | helicóptero utilitário e de transporte | 2017 | 6–7 of 8 bought.
MaisThe Armada says six moved from the 5th to the 10th Squadron in November 2025 and the last two are still to come; Aeronaves Militares Españolas reports seven operational after a delivery in May 2026. Wikipedia says Spain requested six through a Foreign Military Sale in September 2010. |
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| NHIndustries NH90 MSPTEm serviço | Naval tactical transport helicopter | 2025 | 2–4 delivered. The Armada records the first two handed over on 24 July 2025; Aeronaves Militares Españolas records a third in December 2025 and four in service in 2026. | |||
| Helicópteros Airbus H135 P3HEm serviço | Training and light support helicopter | 7 | 2023 | Seven ordered on 22 December 2021 within an 18-aircraft contract for the armed forces; the seventh arrived in September 2025 (Aeronaves Militares Españolas).
MaisWikipedia lists one more on order. |
||
| Cessna 550 Citation IIEm serviço | Maritime surveillance and liaison | 3 | 1982 | Three bought (1982, 1983, 1989); Aeronaves Militares Españolas says two remain operational. | ||
| Cessna 650 Citation VIIEm serviço | Transporte e contato VIP | 1 | 2007 | One; a larger order of January 2007 was cut to a single aircraft. | ||
| Boeing Insitu ScanEagleEm serviço | Ship-launched reconnaissance drone | 2014 | Systems, not airframes, are the unit of count.
MaisAeronaves Militares Españolas: four aircraft and one control system in 2014; by 2023 three systems with 10 aircraft plus one digital system with four. The Armada does not publish a number. |
Sob encomenda
| Tipo | Encomendado | Primeira entrega | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sikorsky (Lockheed Martin) MH-60R SeahawkSob encomenda | 8 | 2026 | To replace the SH-60B.
MaisAeronaves Militares Españolas dates the Council of Ministers approval to 25 April 2023 and expects the first in October 2026; Wikipedia says Lockheed Martin received the contract in October 2023. |
|
| NHIndustries NH90 MSPTSob encomenda | 2025 | The Armada plans seven by 2027 (the naval share of the September 2018 second batch).
MaisAeronaves Militares Españolas and Wikipedia report six more ordered in 2025, which would make 13; not confirmed on an official page. |
||
| Sikorsky SH-60F SeahawkSob encomenda | 2 | The last two of eight, still to come per the Armada; Aeronaves Militares Españolas reports one delivered in May 2026. | ||
| Pilatus PC-24Sob encomenda | Reported by Aeronaves Militares Españolas as the Citation replacement in 2026–27; no official contract or number was found, so treat as reported. |
Every type the Spanish Naval Air Arm has retired
11 types, from the Aeronáutica Naval seaplanes and landplanes (Macchi M.18, Supermarine Scarab, Savoia S.16, Dornier Wal, Avro 504K, Martinsyde F.6 and others) to the Agusta-Bell AB-212ASW. Os números máximos representam as aeronaves incorporadas à frota ao longo de toda a sua vida útil, e não a força total da frota em uma data específica.
| Tipo | Papel | Pico | Servido | Substituído por | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agusta-Bell AB-212ASW | Shipborne utility and anti-surface helicopter | NH90 | The Dédalo and Príncipe de Asturias each typically carried four. | |||
| Sikorsky SH-3D/H Sea King (incl. AEW) | Anti-submarine, airborne early warning and transport helicopter | 1966–2022 | SH-60F, NH90 | Six SH-3Ds acquired in 1966 per the Armada; the total including later aircraft was not confirmed. | ||
| McDonnell Douglas EAV-8B Harrier II (VA.1A) | Carrier-borne V/STOL attack fighter | 12 | 1987–2003 | AV-8B Plus | 12 ordered in March 1983, Spain being the first export customer. Aeronaves Militares Españolas adds a two-seater to the first batch; Wikipedia does not. | |
| Hawker Siddeley AV-8S and TAV-8S Matador (VA.1) | Caça V/STOL embarcado | 1976–1997 | AV-8B | 12–15.
MaisThe Armada says the first seven AV-8As arrived in December 1976; Wikipedia gives 10 built for the order placed through the US Navy plus five bought directly from Britain, mainly to replace losses. Nine (seven single-seat, two two-seat) went to Thailand. |
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| Piper PA-24 Comanche and PA-30 Twin Comanche | Ligação e treinamento | 4 | 1977–1992 | Citation II | Two of each. | |
| Bell AH-1G HueyCobra (Z.14) | Helicóptero de ataque | 8 | Eight new-build. | |||
| Aeronáutica Naval seaplanes and landplanes (Macchi M.18, Supermarine Scarab, Savoia S.16, Dornier Wal, Avro 504K, Martinsyde F.6 and others) | Reconnaissance, bombing, fighter and training | 1917–1939 | About a hundred aircraft by 1936, per the Armada. | |||
| Agusta-Bell AB-204B/AS | Utility and anti-submarine helicopter | 1964– | AB-212 | |||
| Hughes 369HM / 500M | Helicóptero leve | H135 | ||||
| Sikorsky S-55 (CH-9E) | helicóptero utilitário | 1957– | ||||
| Bell 47 | Helicóptero de treinamento e ligação | 3 | 1954– | Three in the first delivery. |
Where the Spanish Naval Air Arm flies from
Os pinos pretos representam bases ativas, os pinos ocos representam aeródromos que foram desativados. Rota, a Spanish naval base with a US naval station inside it, has been the home of Spanish naval flying since 1957; the stations of the Aeronáutica Naval at San Javier, Barcelona, Mahón and Mar Chica all closed in 1939. Marín, where the reborn air arm first flew in 1954, is now a heliport at the Naval Academy. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
Espanha
Uma das 5 bases acima fica fora da Espanha, então o mapa-múndi precisa ser ampliado até que os aeródromos principais não possam mais ser distinguidos. Os mesmos marcadores novamente, sem a base no exterior.
| Base | OACI | Status | Pista | Unidades e aeronaves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MarínNaval Academy heliport and former naval air stationGalicia (Province of Pontevedra) | Ativo |
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| Base Naval de RotaAndaluzia (Província de Cádiz) | ALERTA | Ativo | 10/283.690 mconcreto e asfalto |
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| TorregordaFlotilla de Aeronaves drone siteAndaluzia (Província de Cádiz) | Ativo |
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| Barcelona NavalCampo de la VolateríaCatalonia (Province of Barcelona) | Closed 1939 |
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| El Atalayón NavalMar Chica, MelillaMar Chica lagoon, Melilla (in the former Spanish protectorate; today Morocco) | Closed 1939 |
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| Mahón Naval Air StationBalearic Islands (Menorca) | Closed 1939 |
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| San Javier NavalRegião de Múrcia | LELC | Closed 1939 | 04R/22L2.320 m04L/22R1.577 masfalto (uso militar apenas) |
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Nenhuma base aérea corresponde a essa busca.
Who is stationed where in the Spanish Naval Air Arm
Unidades voadoras por base, unidades atuais primeiro. Spanish naval squadrons are numbered escuadrillas — the 4th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 14th today — and the 5th, with Sea Kings from 1966 and SH-60Fs from 2017, was disbanded in November 2025. The US Navy squadron at Rota is marked as not Spanish. Where a date rests on Wikipedia alone, the entry says so.
- 9.ª Escuadrilla de Aeronaves (9ª Esquadra)Carrier attack squadron · active
- AV-8B Harrier II Plus, TAV-8B Harrier II
- 10.ª Escuadrilla de Aeronaves (10ª Esquadra)Shipborne helicopter squadron · active
- SH-60B Seahawk, SH-60F Seahawk
- 4.ª Escuadrilla de Aeronaves (4ª Esquadra)Fixed-wing surveillance and liaison squadron · active
- Cessna 550 Citation II, Cessna 650 Citation VII
- 12.ª Escuadrilla de Aeronaves (12ª Esquadra)Esquadrão de helicópteros leves · ativo
- Helicópteros Airbus H135 P3H
- 14.ª Escuadrilla de Aeronaves (14ª Esquadra)Tactical transport helicopter squadron · active
- NHIndustries NH90 MSPT
- Esquadrão de Ataque Marítimo de Helicópteros 79 (Marinha dos EUA)Foreign tenant helicopter squadron · active
- Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk
- 5.ª Escuadrilla de Aeronaves (5ª Esquadra)1966–2025
- SH-3D/H Sea King, SH-60F Seahawk
- 8.ª Escuadrilla de Aeronaves (8ª Esquadra)1976–
- AV-8S / TAV-8S Matador
- 11.ª Escuadrilla de Aeronaves (11th Squadron)Esquadrão de aeronaves não tripuladas · ativo
- Boeing Insitu ScanEagle, drone alvo SCRAB-II
- Reconnaissance patrol, Estación Aeronaval de Marín
- CASA-Savoia S.62bis
- Helicopter group (Grupo de Helicópteros)1954–1957
- Bell 47G
Nenhuma unidade corresponde a essa pesquisa.
Spanish Naval Air Arm milestones, 1914 to today
15 September: royal decree of Alfonso XIII creates Spanish naval aviation (Aeronáutica Naval); Captain Pedro María Cardona Prieto organises it from April 1918.
The seaplane carrier Dédalo, a German freighter seized in 1918 and converted in Barcelona, enters service; she can carry some 20 seaplanes and two airships.
8 September: Dédalo’s Supermarine Scarabs and an airship bomb in support of the Alhucemas landing.
7 March: Juan de la Cierva lands and takes off his autogyro on the Dédalo, the first rotorcraft to do so from a ship.
The Civil War ends and the creation of the air force ends naval aviation as a separate branch.
1 January: three Bell 47 helicopters arrive at Vigo. 19 June: first flight, at Marín.
With the S-55 in service, the unit moves to the new Rota naval base.
October: the Agusta-Bell 204 arrives and the 3rd (7 October) and 4th (21 October) Squadrons are formed; six SH-3D Sea Kings follow with the 5th Squadron in 1966.
30 August: the US lends Spain the carrier USS Cabot, which becomes Dédalo (PH-01); she reaches Spain in December.
8 November: first Harrier trial on Dédalo’s deck. 5 December: Spain buys the ship outright (Wikipedia).
December: Dédalo berths at Rota with the first seven AV-8A Matadors; the service becomes the Flotilla de Aeronaves.
The first AV-8B Harrier IIs reach Rota (6 October per Wikipedia); Spain is the first export customer.
30 May: the carrier Príncipe de Asturias is commissioned. 22 December: the first six SH-60Bs are delivered to the new 10th Squadron.
The first of eight new AV-8B Plus Harriers join the fleet (deliveries 1996–97).
6 February: the Príncipe de Asturias is decommissioned, leaving the Juan Carlos I (commissioned 2010) as the Harrier’s only ship.
10 July: the 11th Squadron is created for the ScanEagle; first deployment on Operation Atalanta on 20 April 2015.
24 July: the first two NH90 MSPTs are handed over. August: Zona Militar reports the F-35 purchase shelved. November: the 5th Squadron is disbanded and its SH-60Fs join the 10th.
May: the Secretary of State for Defence confirms the end of Harrier operations in 2032, according to Aeronaves Militares Españolas. The first MH-60R is expected in October.
Every war the Spanish Naval Air Arm has fought
Missões e perdas onde constam nos registros, e um espaço em branco honesto onde não constam.
- The Rif War and the Alhucemas landing 1922–1926 Seaplanes and an airship from the carrier Dédalo flew reconnaissance and bombing missions, most notably in support of the Alhucemas landing
- A Guerra Civil Espanhola 1936–1939 The naval air service ceased to exist as an independent force: the Armada records that both sides placed all their aviation under a single command
- Operation Sharp Guard and the Adriatic 1993–1996 SH-60B helicopters flew from Spanish ships enforcing the NATO/WEU arms embargo against the former Yugoslavia
- Enduring Freedom, Active Endeavour, Iraq and Lebanon 2002–2016 Embarked SH-60Bs on frigates and task groups in counter-terrorism and coalition maritime operations
- The 2011 intervention in Libya 2011 Embarked helicopters on the Spanish ships enforcing the UN arms embargo; the Armada lists the Libya intervention among the SH-60B squadron’s deployments
Who built the Spanish Naval Air Arm fleet
Cada empresa responsável pelas aeronaves desta página tem sua própria página: a história, cada tipo que construiu, os números e as outras forças aéreas que as operam.
Frota atual e encomendas
Sikorsky, Cessna, McDonnell Douglas, NHIndustries, Helicópteros Airbus, Insitu, Pilatos
Antiga frota
Agusta, Sino, Avro, Dornier, Hawker Siddeley, Hughes, Macchi, Martinsyde, Piper, Supermarine
Everything people ask about the Spanish Naval Air Arm
What is the Spanish Naval Air Arm called in Spanish?
What aircraft does the Spanish Navy fly in 2026?
How many Harriers does the Spanish Navy have?
Will Spain buy the F-35B to replace the Harrier?
When was Spanish naval aviation founded?
What was the Matador?
What aircraft carriers has Spain had?
Where is the Spanish Naval Air Arm based?
Did Spanish Harriers fight over Bosnia or Libya?
What happened at Alhucemas in 1925?
Read the aircraft the Spanish Naval Air Arm flew
Cada tipo com uma página no Livro das Feras, primeiro em serviço e depois pelo ano em que deixou a frota.
Todos os fatos foram verificados.
- Armada Espanhola: Breve história da Aviação Naval Espanhola 1917–2017Decreto real de 15 de setembro de 1917; Cardona; estações; Dédalo 1922; Alhucemas; cerca de 100 aeronaves em 1936; Desaparecimento em 1939; Bell 47s em 1º de janeiro de 1954, primeiro vôo em 19 de junho de 1954; Rota 1957; esquadrões 1963–1966; Demonstração de Harrier 1972; sete AV-8 em dezembro de 1976; Guarda Afiada, Libertad Duradera.
- Armada Española: Aeronaves (index)Index of the Flotilla de Aeronaves pages: aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aircraft, emblem.
- Armada Espanhola: Aviones – 4.ª Escuadrilla (Cessna Citation)Três Citation II e uma Citation VII (2007); Piper PA-24/PA-30 de 25 de janeiro de 1977 a 1992; esquadrão ativado em 21 de outubro de 1964; 36 militares.
- Armada Espanhola: 9.ª Escuadrilla de Aeronaves – AV-8B Harrier II Plus12 AV-8B+ e um TAV-8B; mais de 50.000 horas de voo; o AV-8B Plus juntou-se à frota entre 1996 e 1997, montado com a CASA em Sevilha; mais de 100 funcionários; hangar 9 em Rota.
- Armada Española: Helicópteros (index)Helicopter squadrons index (10th, 12th, 14th).
- Armada Espanhola: 10.ª Escuadrilla de Aeronaves (SH-60B/F)Formado em 1988; seis SH-60B em 22 de dezembro de 1988, seis Block I em outubro de 2002; o 5º Esquadrão foi desativado em novembro de 2025 e seis SH-60F foram transferidos; oito MH-60R e mais dois SH-60F estão por vir; missões incluem Sharp Guard, Libertad Duradera, Iraque, Líbano, Active Endeavour, Líbia e Atalanta.
- Armada Espanhola: 12.ª Escuadrilla de Aeronaves (H135)Criado em 6 de fevereiro de 2023 (Resolução 600/02549/23); H135 P3H; primeiro voo em 11 de dezembro de 2023; primeiro destacamento de 3 de outubro a 5 de dezembro de 2024 no Cantabria.
- Armada Espanhola: 14.ª Escuadrilla de Aeronaves (NH90 MSPT)Criado pela Resolução 600/07088/24 de 23 de abril de 2024; os dois primeiros NH90 MSPT foram entregues em 24 de julho de 2025; sete estão planejados até 2027.
- Armada Española: Aeronaves no tripuladas – 11.ª Escuadrilla (ScanEagle)Created 10 July 2014; training at Insitu 2014; first deployment 20 April 2015 (Atalanta); Iraq 2017–2019; 68 personnel; SCRAB-II targets.
- Aeronaves Militares Españolas: AV-8B HarrierChegada do AV-8B em 1987; mais 1996-97; 10 AV-8B+ e um TAV-8B; TAV-8B ex-USMC em março de 2021; cinco ex-USMC para peças de reposição em 2025; fim das operações do Harrier em 2032, confirmado em maio de 2026.
- Aeronaves Militares Españolas: SH-60SH-60B 1988 and 2002; SH-60F ex-US Navy from August 2017; MH-60R approved 25 April 2023, first expected October 2026.
- Aeronaves Militares Españolas: NH-90 MSPTSeven plus six ordered; first two at Rota July 2025, third December 2025, four in service 2026; SH-3D retired 2022, AB-212 retired 2024.
- Aeronaves Militares Españolas: H135 (Armada)Seven ordered 22 December 2021; deliveries December 2023 to September 2025; replaced Hughes 500s of the 6th Squadron.
- Aeronaves Militares Españolas: Cessna Citation IIDeliveries 1982, 1983, 1989; two operational; PC-24 replacement expected 2026–27.
- Aeronaves Militares Españolas: Cessna Citation VIIOne aircraft from March 2007, U.21.
- Aeronaves Militares Españolas: ScanEagle (Armada)Systems and air vehicles; Iraq October 2017–November 2019, about 1,000 hours; ViDAR sensor June 2026.
- Aeronaves Militares Españolas: FLOAN international missionsAtalanta detachments since 2020, incl. 2024 and 2026.
- Zona Militar: Ao descartar a compra de novos F-35, a Armada Espanhola se encaminha para dar de baixa sem substituir seus aviões AV-8B Harrier (6 de agosto de 2025)Relatos, citando fontes oficiais não identificadas, indicam que a compra do F-35 foi suspensa por tempo indeterminado; aposentadoria do Harrier por volta de 2030.
- AIP España AD 2 LERT Cádiz/Rota (ENAIRE; AMDT 404/26)AD 2.2 ponto de referência 363843N 0062058W, elevação 26 m (86 pés), operador Armada Española, uso militar exclusivo, uso conjunto Espanha-EUA, H24; AD 2.12 pista 10/28, 3.690 x 61 m, concreto/asfalto/concreto; área de helicóptero 10H/28H com sete posições para a Armada e terceiros países.
- AIP España AD 2 LEBL Barcelona/El Prat (ENAIRE; effective 6 August 2026)Reference point 411749N 0020442E, elevation 4 m. Used only to place the vanished Campo de la Volatería, which the Armada says lay on the ground the airport now occupies.
- AIP España AD 2 LELC Murcia/San Javier (ENAIRE; effective 16 April 2026)Reference point 374630N 0004845W, elevation 9 m; runways 04R/22L 2,320 m and 04L/22R 1,577 m (military only), asphalt; military operator Ejército del Aire y del Espacio.
- Ejército del Aire y del Espacio: Academia General del Aire (history)San Javier was first a naval air base housing several Aeronáutica Naval schools, which built most of its hangars and buildings; Republican in the Civil War; Escuela Premilitar Aérea from 1939–1940; Academia General del Aire created 28 July 1943, first class 15 September 1945.
- Comandante da Região Naval Europa, África e Central: Estação Naval de Rota – SobrePerfil da instalação da Marinha dos EUA: estabelecida em 1953, construção iniciada em 1955; base espanhola de 6.100 acres; quatro portões operados pelas forças de segurança espanholas; cinco destróieres da classe Arleigh Burke; mais de 40 comandos subordinados; cerca de 7.000 americanos.
- Comandante da Região Naval Europa, África e Central: Estação Naval de Rota (página inicial)O USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) chegou em 15 de outubro de 2024 para concluir sua transferência de porto base de Norfolk; aeródromo de 670 acres que dá suporte a aeronaves da Marinha e da Força Aérea dos EUA; cooperação no âmbito do Acordo de Cooperação em Defesa.
- Comandante da Região Naval Europa, África e Central: Notícias da Estação Naval de RotaRelatórios de patrulha dos destróieres Rota 2022–2024 e uma menção ao esquadrão de helicópteros HSM 79.
- GlobalSecurity.org: Estação Naval de RotaInformações secundárias. Os acordos são datados de 26 de setembro de 1953 (a Wikipédia e a maioria das fontes indicam 23 de setembro); bandeira espanhola e comando sob um vice-almirante espanhol; o VQ-2 foi transferido para a Ilha Whidbey em 1º de setembro de 2005, com seis aeronaves e 450 marinheiros; um sexto destróier é esperado em 2025.
Dados verificados em 30/09/2026. As páginas da Ordem de Batalha são geradas a partir de um único conjunto de dados; se algum número aqui divergir de uma página do Livro das Feras, esta página é considerada a mais recente.
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