Spanish Ministry of Defense Becomes the World’s Leading Operator of the Airbus Helicopters’ EC135 Helicopter for military use

Airbus Helicopters’ factory in Spain provided the setting in January  for the delivery of the two EC135 helicopters to the Spanish Army Airmobile Force (FAMET). The aircraft were the first to be delivered as part of a contract for eight EC135s signed on December 27, 2013 by the Spanish armament procurement agency, which answers directly to the country’s Ministry of Defense, and Airbus Helicopters España.

The contract also includes a logistics package that will support fleet sustainability in the coming years. The remaining six helicopters will be delivered during the course of 2014, and will also be allocated to the CEFAMET Helicopter School Battalion, the Spanish Army Airmobile Force training center. These two new units bring the Spanish Ministry of Defense’s total fleet of EC135s to 16 helicopters, making it the world’s leading operator of the EC135 for military use, which is also operational in countries such as Germany and Japan.

Spain has a fleet of more than 60 EC135s. In recent years the helicopter has taken on a key role in military training and is also widely used by the country’s security forces, forming part of the fleets operated by the Civil Guard, National Police and National Road Transport Authority. The EC135 also provides emergency medical transport in most of the autonomous regions offering this service.