Spain receives the first H135 helicopter for the Air and Space Force

The Secretary of State for Defence, María Amparo Valcarce, and the CEO of Airbus Helicopters Spain, Fernando Lombo, attended the official handover ceremony, at the Albacete factory, of the first H135 helicopter destined for the Air and Space Force.

This first unit will go into service with the 78 Wing, Military Helicopter School (EMH), located at the Armilla Air Base (Granada), where the H135 is expected to replace the Sikorsky S-76C. As of October 2023, the new units received will also replace the Hughes 500M veterans of the 6th Army Squadron.

This act, attended by numerous civil and military authorities, is the result of what was agreed in December 2021 after the signing of the contract with Airbus Helicopters Spain for the acquisition of 36 helicopters, 18 for the Ministry of Defence and 18 for the Ministry of the Interior, within a strategy to support the Spanish and European aeronautical industry.

As regards the Ministry of Defence, it has been calculated that the H135 program will reach an investment of €178 million in the period 2023-2026, destined to obtain the 18 helicopters mentioned, as well as simulators necessary for instruction and pilot training.

This investment effort adds to the socioeconomic impact that the upcoming opening of the future Logistics HUB for the province of Albacete.

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