Força Aérea e Espacial Espanhola

Ordem de batalha · Spain

Força Aérea e Espacial Espanhola

Ejército del Aire y del Espacio

The Spanish Air and Space Force, the Ejército del Aire y del Espacio, grew out of an army air service that was bombing in Morocco by December 1913, fought both sides of the Civil War, was rebuilt with American aircraft after the 1953 Pact of Madrid, and in 2026 is replacing its Hornets with new Eurofighters after the European fighter project it had joined lost its manned jet.

Marcação nacionalThe roundel: a red outer ring, a yellow ring and a red centre, in the colours of the national flag
Marca de barbatanaA black Saint Andrew’s cross on white
137Aeronaves de combate
14Bases aéreas ativas
1939Fundada
17Tipos aposentados
Photo: Ejército del Aire Ministerio de Defensa España / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
PaísEspanhaFundada1939StatusAtivoSedeMadridComandanteFrancisco Braco Carbó
A história

The Spanish Air and Space Force story: Morocco, civil war, American bases and a lost European fighter

1911–1927: Cuatro Vientos, Morocco and the gas war

Spanish military flying began at Cuatro Vientos, outside Madrid, the oldest airfield in the country, in 1911, and a royal decree of 28 February 1913 created the army’s Servicio de Aeronáutica Militar. By December of that year its aircraft were in action in the Spanish protectorate in Morocco, among the first air units anywhere to fight. The war against Abd el-Krim’s Rif republic after the disaster of Annual in July 1921, when some 8,000 of about 20,000 Spanish soldiers were killed or went missing, made Morocco the air arm’s school. It also produced its darkest chapter: from 1924 Spanish aircraft dropped mustard gas and other chemical agents made at La Marañosa near Madrid, with German technical help, on Rif villages, markets and rivers. The historian Sebastian Balfour, working from Spanish military archives, calls it a massive use of mustard gas on civilians. Spain has never formally acknowledged it; a 2007 parliamentary motion asking it to do so was voted down.

1936–1939: two air forces and four foreign ones

The Civil War split the service in July 1936. The Republic kept most of the aircraft and men but little modern equipment; from October 1936 Soviet I-15s, I-16s and SB bombers, and some 772 Soviet airmen, gave its air force (FARE) a brief edge. The Nationalists had something decisive instead: Germany’s Condor Legion, which rotated some 19,000 men through Spain, and Italy’s Aviazione Legionaria, which sent about 764 aircraft. The war was a laboratory. The Condor Legion bombed Guernica on 26 April 1937; Italian bombers flying from Mallorca in Spanish markings hit Barcelona seventeen times in March 1938, on Mussolini’s order and without telling Franco. The death tolls of both raids are still argued over, and the page gives them as ranges. The Nationalist ace Joaquín García Morato scored 36 of his 40 victories in a Fiat CR.32 and was killed in a crash in April 1939, as the war ended.

1939–1970: the Ejército del Aire, Franco and the Americans

Franco’s regime created the Ejército del Aire as an independent service on 7 October 1939, from the victorious Nationalist air arm and the aircraft of both sides. Isolated after 1945, it flew licence-built German designs for two decades: the CASA 2.111 Heinkel, the CASA 352 Junkers and the HA-1112 Buchón, a Bf 109 airframe with a Rolls-Royce Merlin that stayed in service until 27 December 1965. The Pact of Madrid of 23 September 1953 changed everything. In return for American air bases at Torrejón, Zaragoza and Morón, Spain received 270 F-86F Sabres, T-33s, T-6s and later F-104s and F-4s. It was a bargain that rescued a threadbare air force and tied Franco’s dictatorship to the West; it also put US bombers on Spanish soil. The Ifni-Sahara war of 1957–58 was fought with T-6s, CASA 2.111s and CASA 352 paratroop drops.

1970–1999: Phantoms, Mirages, Hornets and NATO

The 1970s brought front-line jets: 24 Mirage IIIEE fighters from 1970, 36 ex-USAF F-4C Phantoms — the only C models ever exported — from 1971, and Mirage F1s at Albacete from 1975, alongside CASA-built F-5s that reportedly flew more than 500 combat missions over the Sahara from Gando. Democracy, NATO membership and the 1986 referendum reshaped the service. Spain chose the F/A-18 Hornet, ordering 72 EF-18A/B and taking the first in November 1985, and insisted that the US 401st Tactical Fighter Wing leave Torrejón; the base was handed back on 21 May 1992. The homegrown CASA C-101 jet trainer, in service from 1980, gave the academy at San Javier its Patrulla Águila display team in 1985. Spanish Hornets dropped laser-guided bombs on a Bosnian Serb ammunition depot at Pale in May 1995 and flew strike and air-defence suppression missions over Kosovo in 1999.

2000–2022: Eurofighter, the A400M and a new name

Spain rejoined the Eurofighter consortium in 1985 and received its first aircraft in 2004, based at Morón and later at Albacete, where they replaced the Mirage F1 in 2013. The A400M, assembled in Seville, gave Spain an industrial prize and a painful setback: on 9 May 2015 an Airbus test aircraft for Turkey crashed there, killing four of its six Airbus crew, after engine-control software data had been erased on three engines. Spain ordered 27 A400Ms but chose to keep only 14 at first, a measure of how the cost had grown. Spanish jets policed Baltic airspace from 2006, and Hornets enforced the Libya no-fly zone in 2011. On 30 June 2022 a royal decree renamed the service the Ejército del Aire y del Espacio, and a Space Command followed on 9 January 2024.

2022–2026: Halcón, Hürjet and the end of a European fighter

Today the fleet is two fighter types, Eurofighters and Hornets, backed by the ageing F-5M trainers, 40 Pilatus PC-21s, A400M and C295 transports, two A330 MRTT tankers and four MQ-9A drones. The Halcón programmes — 20 new Eurofighters signed in June 2022 for the Canary Islands and 25 more in December 2024 — are to replace the Hornets. Gando’s conversion began without them: 8 Eurofighters arrived at Gando on 26 June 2026, according to a secondary blog source; they were older Tranche 3 aircraft from Ala 14 and Ala 11, not new Halcón aircraft. The ITS-C training system, based on the Turkish Hürjet, was approved in October 2025 at an estimated 3.12 billion euros to replace the F-5. Spain did not order the F-35, and the Franco-German cancellation of the FCAS manned fighter in June 2026 left the Spanish partner, which had joined in 2019, without the aircraft it had planned as the Eurofighter’s successor. Defence spending reached an estimated 2 per cent of GDP in 2025, up from 1.43 per cent a year earlier, with NATO’s new Hague commitment pointing far higher by 2035.

The Civil War split the service in July 1936. The Republic kept most of the aircraft and men but little modern equipment; from October 1936 Soviet I-15s, I-16s and SB bombers, and some 772 Soviet airmen, gave its air force (FARE) a brief edge.Spanish Air and Space Force · verified 2026-09-28
À primeira vista

The Spanish Air and Space Force in numbers

Serviço

Nome nativo
Ejército del Aire y del EspacioThe name since 30 June 2022, set by Real Decreto 524/2022 of 27 June 2022 (BOE 29 June 2022): "el Ejército del Aire se denominará Ejército del Aire y del Espacio". Before that, Ejército del Aire from 1939
Fundada
7 October 1939The independent Ejército del Aire dates from 7 October 1939. Its lineage runs back to the army’s Servicio de Aeronáutica Militar, created by royal decree on 28 February 1913, and to flying at Cuatro Vientos from 1911
Parte de
Spanish Armed ForcesAlongside the Army and the Navy; the King is supreme commander. Army helicopters (FAMET) and naval aviation are separate services and are not counted here
Sede
MadridThe Cuartel General del Ejército del Aire y del Espacio. The NATO Combined Air Operations Centre at Torrejón covers Alliance airspace south of the Alps
Chief of Staff (JEMA)
Gen. Francisco Braco CarbóIn post since 25 July 2024; a transport pilot with more than 9,000 hours, previously commander of the joint Mando de Operaciones
Minister of Defence
Margarita RoblesPresided over the July 2024 change of chief; re-check that she is still in office before publishing

Força

Pessoal
About 20,000 to 27,000The minister spoke of "more than 20,000" men and women in July 2024; Wikipedia gives 26,953 for 2025. The two figures probably count differently (civilians, reservists), so the range is given
Aeronaves de combate
  • Eurofighter C.16 — about 67–70
  • EF-18 Hornet C.15 — about 67
  • F-5M (fighter lead-in trainer) — about 20

At September 2026. Counts differ between Wikipedia and the enthusiast blog Aeronaves Militares Españolas; 8 Eurofighters arrived at Gando on 26 June 2026, according to a secondary blog source; they were older Tranche 3 aircraft from Ala 14 and Ala 11, not new Halcón aircraft and the F-5M is a trainer, not a front-line fighter

Treinadores
  • Pilatus PC-21 E.27 — 40
  • CASA C-101 E.25 — being withdrawn

The PC-21 replaced the C-101 in basic and advanced training from 2021; the ITS-C (Hürjet) is to replace the F-5M from 2028

Transport and tankers
  • A400M T.23 — 14
  • C295 T.21 — 13
  • CN-235 — 15
  • A330 MRTT — 2, a third in conversion

Spain ordered 27 A400Ms but keeps 14 for now; the rest are to be delayed or exported. Sixteen C295 maritime aircraft are on order

Aeronaves não tripuladas
MQ-9A Predator B — 4NR.05, flown by 233 Squadron of Ala 23 at Talavera la Real since 2020. Twelve Eurodrones are on order
Orçamento de defesa
About 33.1 billion euros (2025 estimate)NATO estimates Spain at 2.00 per cent of GDP in 2025, up from 1.43 per cent in 2024 and 0.92 per cent in 2014. This is the whole defence budget, not the air force’s share

Infraestrutura

Fighter wings
  • Ala 11 — Morón, Eurofighter
  • Ala 12 — Torrejón, EF-18
  • Ala 14 — Albacete-Los Llanos, Eurofighter
  • Ala 15 — Zaragoza, EF-18
  • Ala 46 — Gando, Gran Canaria, EF-18 converting to Eurofighter

Unit-to-base facts from the base articles and the enthusiast blog; re-check against the national AIP and official unit pages

Transport and special wings
  • Ala 31 — Zaragoza, A400M
  • Ala 35 — Getafe, C295
  • Ala 45 — Torrejón, VIP and A330 MRTT
  • Ala 23 — Talavera la Real, F-5M and MQ-9A

As above; Ala 45 452 Squadron flies the A330 MRTT

Academia
Academia General del Aire y del Espacio, San JavierOfficer training on the PC-21; home of the Patrulla Águila display team from 1985
Equipes de exibição
Patrulla Águila (C-101, listed as former from 2025) and Patrulla Aspa (EC120 helicopters)The Águila flew seven C-101s and was the only team to use yellow smoke
NATO sites
CAOC Torrejón; Tactical Leadership Programme at AlbaceteThe TLP moved to Los Llanos from Florennes, Belgium, in July 2009
US presence today
Morón (with the US Navy at Rota)A May 2015 agreement allows up to 3,000 US personnel and 40 aircraft at Morón. The USAF left Torrejón in 1992 and Zaragoza in 1992
Estrutura

How the Spanish Air and Space Force is organised

One chief of staff in Madrid over wings, schools and a new Space Command. Four mainland fighter wings and Ala 46 in the Canaries hold the front line; the fighters answer operationally to the Mando Aéreo de Combate and organically to the commands that own them. Army helicopters and naval aviation are separate services and are not counted here.

FB

General del Aire (Air General)Francisco Braco CarbóChief of Staff of the Air and Space Force (Jefe de Estado Mayor del Ejército del Aire y del Espacio, JEMA) · in office since 2024
Chief of Staff of the Air and Space ForceJefe de Estado Mayor del Ejército del Aire y del Espacio
Funcionários

Chief of Staff of the Air and Space Force

JEMA
Madrid

Gen. Francisco Braco Carbó since 25 July 2024, at the Cuartel General in Madrid. The King holds the supreme command of the armed forces.

Operações

Mando Aéreo de Combate

The operational command of the fighter wings, among them Ala 15 at Zaragoza and Ala 46 at Gando. The NATO Combined Air Operations Centre at Torrejón directs Alliance air policing south of the Alps.

linha de frente

Mainland fighter wings

Morón, Torrejón, Zaragoza, Albacete

Ala 11 at Morón and Ala 14 at Albacete fly the Eurofighter; Ala 12 at Torrejón and Ala 15 at Zaragoza fly the EF-18 Hornet, which the Halcón II Eurofighters are to replace.

Ilhas Canárias

Ala 46

Gando

The Hornet wing at Gando, holding a 24/7 alert over the Canary Islands and converting to the Eurofighter under Halcón I. Its organic command is the Mando Aéreo de Canarias.

Transporte

Transport and special wings

Zaragoza, Getafe, Torrejón

Ala 31 with the A400M at Zaragoza, Ala 35 with the C295 and CN-235 at Getafe, and Ala 45 at Torrejón with VIP transport and the A330 MRTT.

Treinamento

Academia General del Aire y del Espacio and Ala 23

San Javier, Talavera la Real

Officer and pilot training on the PC-21 at San Javier, then fighter lead-in on the F-5M with Ala 23 at Talavera la Real, which also flies the MQ-9A.

Espaço

Space Command

Established on 9 January 2024, after the service was renamed the Ejército del Aire y del Espacio on 30 June 2022.

Em serviço

What the Spanish Air and Space Force 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
Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon (C.16 / CE.16)Em serviço Caça multifuncional 70 2004 — 73 bought in Tranches 1–3 (14 of them two-seaters) and 70 in service according to the enthusiast blog Aeronaves Militares Españolas; Wikipedia gives 67.

Mais

New Halcón aircraft are counted under on order.
McDonnell Douglas EF-18A/B Hornet, EF-18M/BM (C.15 / CE.15)Em serviço Caça multifuncional 67 1985 — Blog figure: 49 EF-18M, 12 EF-18BM and 6 F/A-18A. Wikipedia’s table gives 81 (69 + 12), which appears to count older data. 96 were delivered in all: 72 new and 24 ex-US Navy.
CASA-Northrop SF-5A/B, now F-5M (AE.9)Em serviço Fighter lead-in trainer 20 1969 — About 20 remain, according to Wikipedia; 70 were in the original contract, 62 of them built by CASA at Getafe.
Pilatus PC-21 (E.27)Em serviço Basic and advanced trainer 40 2021 — 24 ordered in January 2020 and 16 more announced in 2023.
Airbus A400M Atlas (T.23 / TK.23)Em serviço Strategic and tactical transport, tanker 14 2016 — 27 ordered; 14 in service (the blog lists nine T.23 and five TK.23). About six more are expected to be kept around 2029 and the rest offered for export.
Airbus C295 (T.21)Em serviço Transporte tático 13 2001 — 13 in the transport role; 16 maritime versions are on order.
CASA CN-235 (T.19 / D.4)Em serviço Transport and maritime surveillance 15 — Wikipedia inventory figure, transport and patrol versions together.
Airbus A330 MRTT (T.24 / TK.24)Em serviço Tanker-transport 2 2021 — Three ex-Iberia A330-200s bought; two converted to MRTT, the third due in November 2026 according to the blog.
General Atomics MQ-9A Predator B Block 5 (NR.05)Em serviço Medium-altitude long-endurance drone 4 2020 — Four aircraft and three ground stations.
NHIndustries NH90 (HD.29)Em serviço Utility and combat search and rescue helicopter 14 — Wikipedia inventory figure.
Aérospatiale AS332 Super Puma / H215M Cougar (HD.21)Em serviço helicóptero de busca e salvamento 10 — Wikipedia inventory figure; 802 Squadron at Gando has four H215M.
Eurocopter EC120 Colibrí (HE.25)Em serviço Helicóptero de treinamento 15 — Wikipedia inventory figure.
Canadair CL-215 / Bombardier CL-415Em serviço Firefighting — — Número não verificado.
Eurofighter70
EF-18 Hornet67
PC-2140
F-5M20
CN-23515
EC12015
A400M14
NH9014

Sob encomenda

Tipo Encomendado Primeira entrega Notas
Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 4 (Halcón I)Sob encomenda 20 16 single-seat and 4 two-seat aircraft contracted on 23 June 2022 to replace the Hornets of Ala 46 in the Canary Islands.

Mais

The Council of Ministers of 14 December 2021 had authorised the multi-year spending for project Halcón. No Halcón delivery to Gando had been confirmed by September 2026: 8 Eurofighters arrived at Gando on 26 June 2026, according to a secondary blog source; they were older Tranche 3 aircraft from Ala 14 and Ala 11, not new Halcón aircraft. When the Tranche 4 aircraft will arrive was not confirmed.
Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 4+ (Halcón II)Sob encomenda 25 21 single-seat and 4 two-seat aircraft, signed on 20 December 2024, to replace EF-18 Hornets on the mainland. The contract value and delivery schedule were not verified in this research.
TAI Hürjet (ITS-C integrated training system)Sob encomenda 30 2028 The Council of Ministers authorised the ITS-C contract on 28 October 2025 at an estimated 3.12 billion euros, running to 30 November 2035, to replace the F-5M.

Mais

The number is contested: 24 (May 2025 agreement), 45 (October 2025 reports) and 30 (December 2025 reports) all appear; the Council text gives none. Airbus is the Spanish industrial partner.
Airbus C295 MPA and MSASob encomenda 16 Six maritime patrol and ten maritime surveillance aircraft approved in June 2023 to replace the retired P-3 Orions and the CN-235 D.4s.
Eurodrone (European MALE RPAS)Sob encomenda 12 Twelve aircraft in four systems, per Wikipedia; delivery dates not verified.
Airbus A330 MRTT (joint purchase with Poland)Sob encomenda — Framework agreement for joint Spanish-Polish acquisition approved by the Council of Ministers on 25 August 2026, estimated at 5.4 billion euros over seven years and financed through the EU SAFE instrument.

Mais

The number of aircraft for Spain was not published in the Council text.
Anteriormente operado

Every type the Spanish Air and Space Force has retired

17 types, from the Polikarpov I-16 Mosca (C.8) to the Lockheed P-3A/B/M Orion. 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
Lockheed P-3A/B/M Orion Patrulha marítima 6 1971–2022 C295 MPA Two P-3A and four ex-Norwegian P-3B upgraded to P-3M.
Dassault Mirage F1CE, F1EE, F1BE, F1EDA/DDA (C.14) Lutador — 1975–2013 Eurofighter Batches of 15 (1975), 10 (1976) and 48 more new aircraft, plus 12 ex-Qatari F1EDA/DDA; Wikipedia’s own total of 75 does not match the batches, so no single figure is given.

Mais

38 upgraded F1M were left in 2009.
McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II and RF-4C (C.12 / CR.12) Caça e reconhecimento 52 1971–2002 EF-18 Hornet 36 F-4C in 1971–1972, four more F-4C and four RF-4C in October 1978, eight more RF-4C in 1989.
Hispano HA-200 Saeta (E.14) and HA-220 Super Saeta (C.10) Jet trainer and light attack — — CASA C-101 About 30 HA-200A and 55 HA-200D, with 40 later converted to HA-200E, according to Wikipedia; the total is not stated as a single figure.
North American F-86F Sabre (C.5) Lutador 270 1955–1972 — 270 US-built F-86Fs, received 1955–1958.
Hispano HA-1112-K1L Tripala and HA-1112-M1L Buchón Caça-bombardeiro 237 1951–1965 — 65 Tripala with the Hispano-Suiza 12Z out of 200 planned, then 172 Buchón with the Rolls-Royce Merlin 500-45.
Fiat CR.32 and Hispano HA-132-L Chirri (C.1) Lutador — 1936–1953 — 365–405 sent from Italy; at least 100 more built by Hispano as the HA-132-L.
Polikarpov I-16 Mosca (C.8) Lutador 276 1936–1952 — 276 delivered to the Republic 1936–38; 187 lost by 1 April 1939; about 30 more built in Spain.
Heinkel He 51 Fighter, then ground attack — 1936–1952 — About 46 survivors plus 15 new-built after the war.
Dassault Mirage IIIEE and IIIDE (C.11 / CE.11) Lutador 31 1970– — 24 IIIEE and 7 IIIDE two-seaters.
Lockheed F-104G Starfighter Interceptor — — — Number not verified in this research.
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star Treinador a jato — — — Número não verificado.
T-6 Texan norte-americano Trainer and counter-insurgency aircraft — — — Número não verificado.
CASA C-101 Aviojet (E.25 Mirlo) Treinador a jato 88 1980– Pilatus PC-21 and ITS-C Initial order for 88 trainers.
CASA 2.111 (licence-built Heinkel He 111H-16) Bomber and transport 236 1945– — 236 built from 1945 to 1956.
CASA 352 / 352L (licence-built Junkers Ju 52/3m, T.2B) Transporte 170 — — 106 CASA 352 and 64 CASA 352L built.
Lockheed C-130H / KC-130H Hercules (T.10 / TK.10) Transport and tanker — — Airbus A400M Number not verified in this research.
bases aéreas

Where the Spanish Air and Space Force flies from

Pinos pretos são bases ativas, pinos ocos são as bases que se fecharam. Torrejón, Zaragoza and Morón were shared with the United States under the 1953 Pact of Madrid, and US forces are still at Morón. Gando lies in the Atlantic, so a second map shows the mainland and the Balearic Islands at a readable scale.

Base aérea ativa Fechado ou reservadoClique em um marcador para abrir a página inicial.

Mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands

One of the 16 bases above sits outside mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands, so the world map has to pull back until the home airfields cannot be told apart. The same pins again, without the overseas base.

Base OACI Status Pista Unidades e aeronaves
Albacete-Los LlanosCastela-La Mancha LEAB Ativo 09/272.700 masphalt concrete
AlcantarillaRegion of Murcia LERI Ativo 06/24938 m —
ArmillaAndaluzia LEGA Ativo 18/361.300 mcompacted soil with asphalt
  • 781 Escuadrón (Ala 78): Sikorsky S-76C (HE.24)
  • 782 Escuadrón (Ala 78): Eurocopter EC120B Colibrí (HE.25)
  • Patrulla ASPA: Eurocopter EC120B Colibrí (HE.25)
Cuatro VientosComunidade de Madrid LECU Ativo 09/271.500 m —
GandoIlhas Canárias GCLP Ativo 03L/21R3.100 masphalt concrete03R/21L3,099 masphalt concrete
GetafeComunidade de Madrid LEGT Ativo 04/222,477 m
  • Ala 35: CASA/IPTN CN-235, Airbus C295
MatacánCastile and León LESA Ativo 03/212,513 m07/251.864 mhard soil (military use only)
  • 741 Escuadrón
IdiotaAndaluzia LIMÃO Ativo 02/203.596 m
  • 111 Esquadrão (Ala 11): Eurofighter Typhoon (C.16)
  • 113 Esquadrão (Ala 11): Eurofighter Typhoon (C.16)
  • 496º Esquadrão da Base Aérea (USAF)
  • Força-Tarefa Aeroterrestre de Propósito Especial de Resposta a Crises da Marinha – África (USMC): MV-22B Osprey, KC-130J Hercules
  • Destacamento Reflex do Comando Aéreo Estratégico (Força Aérea dos EUA): Boeing B-47 Stratojet
San JavierAcademia General del AireRegion of Murcia LELC Ativo 04R/22L2,320 m04L/22R1,577 masphalt (military use only)
  • Academia General del Aire: basic and advanced flying training: Pilatus PC-21
  • Patrulla Águila: CASA C-101 Aviojet
Son San JuanBalearic Islands LEPA Ativo 06L/24R3,270 m06R/24L3.000 m —
Talavera la RealExtremadura LEBZ Ativo 13/312,852 masphalt concrete
TorrejónComunidade de Madrid LETO Ativo 04/223,658 m
VillanublaCastile and León LEVD Ativo 05/233,005 m14/32907 mhard soil (military use only)
  • 371 Escuadrón (Ala 37): CASA C-212 Aviocar (T.12)
  • 422 Escuadrón (Ala 37): Beechcraft F33C Bonanza (E.24)
  • Ala 37 (Caribou era): de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou (T.9)
SaragoçaAragão LEZG Ativo 12L/30R3,032 m12R/30L3,718 m
ReusCatalonia LERS Fechado 07/252.459 m —
ManisesValencian Community LEVC Fechado em 1999 12/303,215 m

Nenhuma base aérea corresponde a essa busca.

Ordem de batalha

Who is stationed where in the Spanish Air and Space Force

Unidades voadoras por base, unidades atuais primeiro. Spanish squadrons take their numbers from their wing — 121 and 122 in Ala 12, 151 to 153 in Ala 15, 462 in Ala 46 — and several carry radio call signs such as Póker, Tenis and Toro. American units are marked as allied.

Torrejón Air Base · LETOAla 12 and the other units of the Torrejón base; the AIP names the Ejército del Aire y del Espacio as operator
121 Escuadrón (Ala 12)Esquadrão de caça · ativo
EF-18 Hornet (C.15 / C.15M)
122 Escuadrón (Ala 12)Esquadrão de caça · ativo
EF-18 Hornet (C.15 / C.15M)
43 GrupoAerial firefighting group · active
Canadair CL-215
Ala 45 (452 Escuadrón, formerly 45 Grupo)VIP transport and tanker · active
Airbus A330-200 (T.24), Airbus A330 MRTT (TK.24)
47 Grupo MixtoElectronic warfare and intelligence · active
—
54 Grupo (flight test)Flight test group · active
—
123 Escuadrón (Ala 12)—
RF-4C Phantom II
Ala 12 and predecessors: early fighter types1958–2002
F-86F Sabre, F-104G Starfighter, F-4C Phantom II
401st Tactical Fighter Wing (USAF)1966–1992
F-100D/F Super Sabre, F-4C/D Phantom II, F-16A/B Fighting Falcon, F-16C/D Fighting Falcon
Base Aérea de Morón · LEMOAla 11; o AIP lista o aeródromo para uso militar exclusivo, H24
111 Esquadrão (Ala 11)Esquadrão de caça · ativo
Eurofighter Typhoon (C.16)
113 Esquadrão (Ala 11)Esquadrão de caça · ativo
Eurofighter Typhoon (C.16)
496º Esquadrão da Base Aérea (USAF)Allied air base squadron · allied
—
Força-Tarefa Aeroterrestre de Propósito Especial de Resposta a Crises da Marinha – África (USMC)2013–2021
MV-22B Osprey, KC-130J Hercules
Destacamento Reflex do Comando Aéreo Estratégico (Força Aérea dos EUA)1958–1966
Boeing B-47 Stratojet
151 Escuadrón (Ala 15)Toro · Fighter squadron · active
EF-18 Hornet (C.15)
152 Escuadrón (Ala 15)Marte · Fighter squadron · active
EF-18 Hornet (C.15)
153 Escuadrón (Ala 15)Ebro · Hornet conversion squadron · active
EF-18 Hornet (C.15)
Ala 31 (311 and 312 Escuadrón)Transport wing · active
Airbus A400M Atlas
Ala 31, 311 and 312 Escuadrón (Hercules era)1973–2020
Lockheed C-130H and C-130H-30 Hercules (T.10), Lockheed KC-130H Hercules
United States Air Force at Zaragoza1958–1992
—
431st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (USAF)1958–1964
F-86D Sabre, F-102A Delta Dagger
Base Aérea de Albacete-Los Llanos · LEABAla 14; joint civil
142 Esquadrão (Ala 14)Esquadrão de caça · ativo
Eurofighter Typhoon (C.16)
141 Esquadrão (Ala 14)Esquadrão de caça · ativo
Eurofighter Typhoon (C.16)
Programa de Liderança Tática (OTAN)Multinational tactical training school · allied
—
Ala 14 (era Mirage F1)1975–2013
Dassault Mirage F1
Base Aérea de Gando · GCLPAla 46
462 Escuadrón (Ala 46)Esquadrão de caça · ativo
Eurofighter Typhoon (C.16), Tranche 3
802 EscuadrónSearch and rescue and transport squadron · active
CN235-100 MSA, C295 MSA/SAR (from June 2026), AS332 Super Puma (HD.21) or H215M
462 Escuadrón (Ala 46), Hornet era1999–2026
EF-18A+ Hornet (C.15)
462 Escuadrón (Mirage F1 era)1982–1999
Dassault Mirage F1
29 Grupo Expedicionario de Caza1940–
Fiat CR.32
Talavera la Real · LEBZAla 23, fighter and attack training school
Ala 23Fighter-attack training wing · active
Northrop F-5B (SF-5)
Escuela de Reactores1954–1987
Lockheed T-33, North American F-86 Sabre
Getafe · LEGTAla 35; the AIP names the Ejército del Aire y del Espacio as operator
Ala 35Transport wing · active
CASA/IPTN CN-235, Airbus C295
San Javier (Academia General del Aire) · LELCAcademia General del Aire; civil operations by Aena
Academia General del Aire: basic and advanced flying trainingFlying training · active
Pilatus PC-21
Patrulla Águila1985–
CASA C-101 Aviojet
Matacán · LESABase Aérea de Matacán; the AIP names the Ejército del Aire y del Espacio as operator
741 EscuadrónSquadron · active
—
Villanubla · LEVDAla 37; the AIP names the Ejército del Aire y del Espacio as operator
371 Escuadrón (Ala 37)Transport squadron · active
CASA C-212 Aviocar (T.12)
422 Escuadrón (Ala 37)Training squadron · active
Beechcraft F33C Bonanza (E.24)
Ala 37 (Caribou era)1968–1991
de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou (T.9)
Armilla · LEGAAla 78
781 Escuadrón (Ala 78)Esquadrão de treinamento de helicópteros · ativo
Sikorsky S-76C (HE.24)
782 Escuadrón (Ala 78)Esquadrão de treinamento de helicópteros · ativo
Eurocopter EC120B Colibrí (HE.25)
Patrulla ASPAHelicopter display team · active
Eurocopter EC120B Colibrí (HE.25)

Nenhuma unidade corresponde a essa pesquisa.

Linha do tempo

Spanish Air and Space Force milestones, 1914 to today

1911

Military flying begins at Cuatro Vientos, Madrid, today the oldest airfield in Spain.

1913

28 February: a royal decree creates the Servicio de Aeronáutica Militar. From December its aircraft fly combat missions in Morocco.

1921

1 July: the disaster of Annual; some 8,000 of about 20,000 Spanish soldiers are killed or missing, and the Rif War escalates.

1924

Spanish aircraft begin dropping mustard gas and other chemical agents in the Rif, the first widespread use of gas warfare after the First World War.

1925

September: the Alhucemas landing, the first amphibious landing to use tanks and aircraft, with about 150 Franco-Spanish aircraft in support.

1926

22 January: Ramón Franco’s Dornier Wal Plus Ultra leaves Palos de la Frontera and reaches Buenos Aires after 10,270 km and 59 hours 39 minutes of flying. 27 May: Abd el-Krim surrenders.

1936

The Civil War splits the air arm. Six German He 51s arrive for the Nationalists on 6 August; Soviet aircraft reach the Republic from October.

1937

26 April: the Condor Legion and the Aviazione Legionaria bomb Guernica.

1938

16–18 March: seventeen Italian raids on Barcelona kill up to 1,300 people.

1939

1 April: the Civil War ends. 7 October: the Ejército del Aire is created as an independent service.

1953

23 September: the Pact of Madrid opens Torrejón, Zaragoza and Morón to the USAF in return for aid that includes F-86 Sabres, T-33s and T-6s.

1955

12 August: the HA-200 Saeta, Spain’s first jet, makes its first flight. F-86F deliveries run from 1955 to 1958.

1957

25 November: CASA 2.111s bomb and CASA 352s drop 75 paratroopers at Tiliuín in the Ifni War, which lasts until 30 June 1958.

1965

27 December: the last HA-1112 Buchón is retired.

1971

October: the first of 36 ex-USAF F-4C Phantoms arrive for Ala 12 at Torrejón.

1975

Ala 14 at Albacete receives the Mirage F1.

1985

4 July: the Patrulla Águila is formed at San Javier with the C-101. 22 November: deliveries of the EF-18 Hornet begin.

1992

21 May: the USAF hands Torrejón back to Spain after the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing leaves.

1995

May: Spanish EF-18s bomb a Bosnian Serb ammunition depot at Pale during Operation Deny Flight.

2004

May: the first Eurofighters arrive; Spain had rejoined the programme in 1985. Ala 11 at Morón and later Ala 14 at Albacete fly them.

2015

26 January: a Greek F-16 crashes on take-off at Albacete, killing its two crew and nine people on the ground. 9 May: an Airbus A400M test aircraft for Turkey crashes at Seville, killing four of the six Airbus crew.

2022

23 June: Halcón I, 20 Eurofighters for the Canaries. 30 June: the service becomes the Ejército del Aire y del Espacio. 16 December: the P-3 Orion is retired.

2024

9 January: Space Command is established. 25 July: Gen. Francisco Braco Carbó becomes JEMA. 20 December: Halcón II, 25 more Eurofighters, is signed.

2026

June: France and Germany cancel the FCAS manned fighter that Spain had joined in 2019. 26 June: 8 Eurofighters arrive at Gando per a secondary blog source, older Tranche 3 aircraft from Ala 14 and Ala 11, not new Halcón aircraft. 25 August: a joint MRTT purchase with Poland is approved.

Histórico de combate

Every war the Spanish Air and Space Force has fought

Missões e perdas onde constam nos registros, e um espaço em branco honesto onde não constam.

7conflitos
1921Primeiro
0Aeronave perdida
0Morto
  • The Rif War 1921–1927 Reconnaissance, bombing and supply of besieged posts; from 1924 the aerial delivery of chemical weapons against the Rif population; air support for the Alhucemas landing in 1925
  • The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939 Both halves of the Spanish air arm fought each other, each with foreign support: Soviet aircraft and airmen for the Republic, the German Condor Legion and the Italian Aviazione Legionaria for the Nationalists
  • The Ifni-Sahara War 1957–1958 Bombing, close support and paratroop drops against the Moroccan Army of Liberation, including a joint Franco-Spanish air offensive in February 1958
  • Bosnia: Deny Flight and Deliberate Force 1993–1995 Spanish EF-18s flew in NATO’s enforcement of the UN no-fly zone and in air strikes; transport aircraft supported UNPROFOR
  • Kosovo: Operação Força Aliada 1999 Spanish EF-18s flew ground-attack, air-defence suppression and combat air patrol missions under NATO command, supported by KC-130 tankers

Abra o registro completo do combate

Da revista

Spanish Air and Space Force news from Afterburner

Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the Spanish Air and Space Force and the aircraft it flies. Esta lista é atualizada automaticamente — novas histórias do Afterburner aparecem aqui.

Todas as histórias em Afterburner

Perguntas e Respostas

Everything people ask about the Spanish Air and Space Force

What is the Spanish Air Force called now?
Its official name is the Ejército del Aire y del Espacio, the Spanish Air and Space Force. Real Decreto 524/2022 of 27 June 2022, published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado on 29 June (BOE-A-2022-10787), renamed the Ejército del Aire with effect from 30 June 2022. The old names, Ejército del Aire and Spanish Air Force, are still widely used and refer to the same service. The official name is given in Spanish only; no co-official regional form was found in the official sources used.
Why was the Spanish Air Force renamed in 2022?
It was renamed to reflect the new space capabilities the service had acquired. The rename was followed on 9 January 2024 by the formal creation of a Space Command within the service.
What fighter jets does the Spanish Air and Space Force fly?
Two front-line types: the Eurofighter Typhoon (C.16), about 67 to 70 of them at Morón and Albacete, and the EF-18 Hornet (C.15), about 67 at Torrejón, Zaragoza and Gando. About 20 F-5Ms serve as fighter lead-in trainers. Forty-five new Eurofighters are on order under the Halcón I and II programmes.
Does Spain fly the F-35?
No. The air force has no F-35 order, and the Eurofighter Halcón I and II orders of 2022 and 2024 are replacing its Hornets instead. Press reports in 2025 said the government had ruled the F-35 out; that decision was not confirmed from an official document in the research for this page.
Who commands the Spanish Air and Space Force?
General Francisco Braco Carbó, Chief of Staff (JEMA) since 25 July 2024. A transport pilot who joined in 1978, he has flown more than 9,000 hours on the C-130, Falcon 900 and Airbus 310, and had commanded the joint Operations Command since 2020. He succeeded Gen. Javier Salto Martínez-Avial.
When was the Spanish Air Force founded?
The independent Ejército del Aire was created on 7 October 1939, after the Civil War. Military aviation is older: flying began at Cuatro Vientos in 1911, and a royal decree of 28 February 1913 created the army’s Servicio de Aeronáutica Militar, which was in combat in Morocco by December 1913.
Did Spain use chemical weapons from the air in the Rif War?
Yes. From 1924 Spanish aircraft dropped mustard gas, phosgene, diphosgene and chloropicrin in the Rif, on villages, markets and rivers, using agents made at La Marañosa near Madrid with German technical help. The historians Rudibert Kunz and Rolf-Dieter Müller (1990) and Sebastian Balfour (Deadly Embrace, 2002) documented it from Spanish, French and British archives. The number of victims is unknown, and a 2007 parliamentary motion asking Spain to acknowledge it was rejected.
Who bombed Guernica, and how many people died?
Aircraft of the German Condor Legion, with three Italian SM.79s of the Aviazione Legionaria, bombed Guernica on 26 April 1937 in an attack codenamed Operation Rügen, under the Condor Legion’s chief of staff Wolfram von Richthofen. The toll is contested: the Basque government said 1,654 in 1937; the local history group Gernikazarra counts 126, later 153; Raúl Arias Ramos gives 250 and Villarroya and Solé i Sabaté 300. Many historians now cite 170 to 300. The Spanish air arm itself did not fly the raid.
What was the Condor Legion?
Germany’s air expeditionary force for Franco’s Nationalists in the Civil War, formed in July 1936. About 19,000 men served in it in rotation, flying the He 51, Ju 52, He 111, Do 17, Bf 109 and Ju 87. It claimed 320 Republican aircraft destroyed and lost 72 to enemy action and 160 in accidents. Future Luftwaffe aces Adolf Galland and Werner Mölders served in it.
What aircraft did the Spanish Republic fly in the Civil War?
Mostly Soviet types from October 1936: the Polikarpov I-16 Mosca, the I-15 Chato, the Tupolev SB Katiuska bomber and the R-5 and R-Z. The Soviet Union sent 276 I-16s, and about 772 Soviet airmen served, of whom 99 were killed.
Who was Spain’s top fighter ace?
Joaquín García Morato of the Nationalist air arm, with 40 victories in the Civil War, 36 of them in the Fiat CR.32. He was killed in a flying accident in April 1939.
What was the Pact of Madrid?
The 1953 agreements, signed on 23 September, under which the United States gained air bases at Torrejón, Zaragoza and Morón and the naval base at Rota, and Franco’s Spain received economic and military aid. For the air force it meant 270 F-86F Sabres, T-33 and T-6 trainers, and later the F-104 e F-4 Phantom.
When did the US Air Force leave Torrejón?
The USAF part of Torrejón was handed back to Spain on 21 May 1992. The 1986 NATO referendum committed the government to reduce the US presence, and an agreement in January 1988 required the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing and its F-16s to leave. US forces remain at Morón, where a 2015 agreement allows up to 3,000 personnel.
Did Spain fly the F-4 Phantom?
Yes. Spain received 36 ex-USAF F-4C Phantoms from October 1971 — the only F-4Cs ever exported — for Ala 12 at Torrejón, then four more F-4Cs, four RF-4Cs in 1978 and eight RF-4Cs in 1989. The last reconnaissance Phantoms retired in 2002.
What was the Hispano Buchón?
The HA-1112-M1L Buchón was a Spanish-built Messerschmitt Bf 109 fitted with a Rolls-Royce Merlin. 172 were built, entering service in 1954, and the last was retired on 27 December 1965. Buchóns played German fighters in the film Battle of Britain, and several still fly.
What was the CASA 2.111?
A Spanish licence-built Heinkel He 111. 236 were built from 1945, many later re-engined with Merlins. They bombed in the Ifni War in 1957 and served into the late 1960s, the transports into the early 1970s.
What happened in the Ifni War?
Moroccan irregulars attacked Spanish Ifni and the Sahara from 23 November 1957. The air force relieved Tiliuín on 25 November with CASA 2.111 bombers and a drop of 75 paratroopers from CASA 352s, flew T-6s as attack aircraft, and joined France in a 150-aircraft offensive in February 1958. The war ended on 30 June 1958; Spanish forces lost 190 dead, 500 wounded and 80 missing.
What caused the A400M crash in Seville?
On 9 May 2015 an Airbus A400M test aircraft being built for Turkey crashed near Seville, killing four of the six Airbus crew. Torque calibration data for three of the four engines had been accidentally erased when the engine-control software was installed, so their control units could not work normally. Spain’s military accident agency CITAAM investigated. It was not a Spanish air force aircraft.
What is the Halcón programme?
Halcón I is the order of 23 June 2022 for 20 Tranche 4 Eurofighters (16 single-seat, 4 two-seat) to replace the Hornets of Ala 46 in the Canary Islands; Halcón II, signed on 20 December 2024, adds 25 more (21 and 4) to replace mainland Hornets. None had been confirmed at Gando by September 2026: 8 Eurofighters arrived at Gando on 26 June 2026, according to a secondary blog source; they were older Tranche 3 aircraft from Ala 14 and Ala 11, not new Halcón aircraft.
What trainer aircraft does the Spanish Air Force use?
Pilots learn on 40 Pilatus PC-21s (E.27) at the Academia General del Aire at San Javier, which replaced the CASA C-101 from 2021. Fighter lead-in training is on the F-5M at Talavera la Real until the ITS-C system, based on the Turkish Hürjet, arrives from 2028.
Is Spain buying the Hürjet?
Yes. The Council of Ministers authorised the ITS-C fighter and attack training system on 28 October 2025 at an estimated 3.12 billion euros, to replace the F-5M, with Airbus as the Spanish partner. The number of aircraft reported has varied between 24, 30 and 45; the official Council text gives none.
What happened to FCAS?
Spain joined the Franco-German Future Combat Air System in June 2019, with Indra as national lead and a contract of more than 600 million euros in the 2022 Phase 1B. In June 2026 France and Germany cancelled the manned fighter; the "combat cloud" data network continues under the FCAS name. Spain’s future after the Eurofighter is therefore open.
What drones does the Spanish Air Force fly?
Four MQ-9A Predator B Block 5s, designated NR.05, flown by 233 Squadron from Talavera la Real since 2020. A contract to arm them with Hellfire missiles was authorised in November 2023. Twelve Eurodrones are on order.
What is the Patrulla Águila?
The Spanish Air Force’s jet display team, formed on 4 July 1985 at the academy at San Javier with seven CASA C-101s. It was the only team to use yellow smoke and was known for formation landings. With the C-101 being retired, it is listed as a former team from 2025. Its predecessor, the Patrulla Ascua, flew F-86 Sabres from Manises from 1958.
Does the Spanish Air Force take part in NATO air policing?
Yes. Spain has flown Baltic Air Policing rotations since August 2006, from Šiauliai in Lithuania and Ämari in Estonia, with Mirage F1s, Eurofighters and Hornets; a detachment of eleven Hornets began at Šiauliai on 27 November 2025. NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre at Torrejón directs air policing south of the Alps.
How much does Spain spend on defence?
NATO estimated Spanish defence spending at 2.00 per cent of GDP in 2025, about 33.1 billion euros, up from 1.43 per cent in 2024 and 0.92 per cent in 2014. That is the whole defence budget, not the air force’s share.
Where is the Spanish Air Force museum?
The Museo de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica is on the southern side of Cuatro Vientos airfield in Madrid, where Spanish military flying began in 1911.
What was the Plus Ultra flight?
In January 1926 the Dornier Wal flying boat Plus Ultra, crewed by military aviators, flew from Palos de la Frontera to Buenos Aires with Ramón Franco, Julio Ruiz de Alda, Juan Manuel Durán and mechanic Pablo Rada: 10,270 km in 59 hours 39 minutes of flying. The aircraft is preserved in Luján, Argentina.

Fontes e Leitura Complementar

Todos os fatos foram verificados.

Figures verified 2026-09-28. Order of Battle pages are regenerated from a single dataset; if a number here disagrees with a Book of Beasts page, this page is the more recent of the two.

Photographs: Photo: Ejército del Aire Ministerio de Defensa España / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: Gerard van der Schaaf / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo: Bernardo Fernandez copado / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo: Javier Rodríguez from Palma de Mallorca, España / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: PabtheSpanish / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Myself (Adrian Pingstone). / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Ken Fielding / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Andrzej Otrębski / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Colin Cooke Photo / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Nicky Boogaard from Hardinxveld-Giessendam, Netherlands / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo: Contando Estrelas from Vigo, España / Spain / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: Jim van de Burgt from Wijk bij Duurstede, Netherlands / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: Groumfy69 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: Curimedia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo: Garrapata / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: Darz Mol / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Magic Aviation / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo: Bene Riobó / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Ronnie Macdonald from Chelmsford and Largs, United Kingdom / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo: Paul from United Kingdom / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo: Umeyou / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: André Gerwing / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: Blende22 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Smolik / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)