The Spanish Navy receives first Airbus H135 P3H

The H135 Joint Program Office, which manages the procurement process, transferred the helicopter to the Spanish Navy at the Airbus Helicopters facilities in Albacete, Spain. The transfer of the second of seven H135s is scheduled on 30 November, and the flight of both aircraft to Rota Naval Base will take place on 11 December. During the six weeks that the first ‘Nival’ is in Albacete, it will perform training flights with the pilots of the 12th Squadron.

The navy’s H135 P3Hs incorporate exclusive modifications that enable them to operate on ships – such as pressurized fuel filling, manual folding of the main rotor, reinforced anti-corrosion treatment, and a floating system. In addition, they have cabins with night vision goggles capability, all-weather and surface radar, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and electro-optical systems, side cranes, barycentric hooks, auxiliary fuel tanks, fast rope systems, and air evacuation (medevac/casevac) kits.

The H135 P3H is the first Airbus product to enter service in the Spanish Navy, chosen in part to replace the aged fleet of Hughes 500Ms as it comes with advanced avionics and easy maintenance. Once the aircraft complete the initial qualification process aboard an offshore patrol vessel (OPV) in the first half of 2024, and achieve initial operational capability in the second half of the year, the 12th Aircraft Squadron will bring a state-of-the-art aeronautical training capability to the Cardona Naval Air Training School (EDAN).

The Spanish Navy has also recently purchased eight Lockheed Martin MH-60R Seahawks to aid in search and rescue missions.