Spain orders 100 helicopters for defense forces

December 18, 2025, by Fatima Bahtić

Spain has decided to place orders for 100 helicopters through the Directorate General for Armament and Material (DGAM) of the Ministry of Defense.

The contracts, awarded to Airbus, are framed within the National Helicopter Plan announced in May, and they aim to boost the modernization of Spain’s defense and security assets.

The contracts, representing the DGAM’s largest helicopter procurement to date, cover four different aircraft models for the three branches of the Spanish Armed Forces. Specifically, the agreements include the following programs:

13 H135 helicopters: 12 aircraft for the Spanish Air and Space Force and one for the navy. These helicopters will be used for advanced pilot training, light utility, and observation missions.

50 H145M helicopters: All allocated to the Spanish Army (FAMET). Their missions include military pilot training, light attack operations (equipped with the HForce system, complementing the Tiger), light utility tasks, and disaster relief.

6 H175M helicopters: Assigned to the Spanish Air and Space Force. These super-medium utility helicopters will support government missions, including the transport of officials, and will replace obsolete aircraft currently operated by Wing 48.

31 NH90 helicopters: Of these, 13 will go to the Army, 12 to the Air and Space Force, and six to the navy. The NH90s will be used for tactical transport, maneuver, and special operations missions, as well as to strengthen the navy’s amphibious warfare capabilities.

“By formalising these contracts, the Ministry of Defence fulfils its commitment to provide our Armed Forces with the latest generation of helicopters that are essential for their operations,” stated María Amparo Valcarce García, Secretary of State for Defense.

“This investment is strategic and is focused on significantly increasing Spain’s security and defence capabilities, ensuring national strategic autonomy in a key sector of European defence.”

“This award is the tangible realisation of the National Helicopter Plan and the programmes included represent a qualitative shift in the capabilities of the Armed Forces. We are proud to be strengthening Spain’s national defence and security resilience,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters.

“Furthermore, they consolidate and advance Airbus Helicopters’ industrial footprint in Spain, projecting the country as a reference hub in the European aeronautical industry,” he added.