Spanish Airbus NH90 is ready for Mali

In September 2016, the Spanish Army received its first NH90 tactical troop transport helicopters (TTH). Since then, a total of 14 NH90s have been delivered in the Standard 1 and 2 configurations.

The NH90s operated by the FAMET (Spanish Army Airmobile Force) will be tasked with providing tactical transport, support for special operations forces, combat recovery and combat SAR, electronic warfare, logistics support, medical evacuation operations and fire support with their two M3M MK3 12.7 mm machine guns.

Brigadier Francisco Javier Marcos Izquierdo, Commander of the FAMET, said: “The improvements offered by this latest-generation helicopter (enhanced speed, range and navigation, all-weather capacity, more secure communications, greater load capacity at high altitude and in hot conditions, etc.) enhance our effectiveness when carrying out missions such as tactical transport, aerial assaults and other special operations in the most demanding conditions.”

A major leap forward in terms of mission planning

Over the last five years, the focus of FAMET has been on completing the training of pilots, specialists, and onboard operators. More than 6,000 flight hours have been devoted to these tasks, while maintaining operational availability levels comparable to those of other fleets using this model. New mission systems have been progressively incorporated to optimize its features (ballistics protection, roller loading system, 12.7 mm machine guns, electronic warfare system, rappel and fast rope systems, and a cargo hook).

Recently, Airbus Helicopters handed over the seventh and last H145 for the SAR service of the Bundeswehr to the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support.