Members of the 3rd Squadron of the Spanish Navy show their AB-212 helicopters

The 3rd Squadron of the Spanish Navy was founded in 1965, being the second oldest unit of the Aircraft Flotilla.

The flight of the AB-212 'Gato' helicopters of the Spanish Navy in Latvia before their farewell
The emotive farewell of the Spanish Navy to the AB-212 helicopter in Operation Atalanta

On July 31, this unit will say goodbye to its Agusta-Bell AB-212 helicopters, which will be retired from service in the Spanish Navy after 50 years in service, as they arrived in Spain between 1974 and 1980 Of the 14 helicopters acquired, only 7 remain active today, operating from the Rota Naval Base (Cádiz) and from the flight decks of several Navy ships.

During this half century, the AB-212s of the 3rd Squadron have served as rescue, transport, medical evacuation and armed escort helicopters in a multitude of scenarios around the world. However, their farewell to the Aircraft Flotilla will not be their definitive farewell to the Armed Forces, since they will be transferred to the Maneuver Helicopter Battalion VI (BHELMA VI) of the Spanish Army, based in Los Rodeos (Tenerife), which still operates three AB-212 helicopters but which have not been modernized, unlike the AB-212 of the 3rd Squadron.

These days, three AB-212 are experiencing their last deployment on the "Juan Carlos I" L-61 aircraft carrier, integrated into the Dédalo 24 Expeditionary Combat Group, which has toured the Mediterranean Sea and subsequently sailed through the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea until reaching Finland. A great farewell for these magnificent helicopters and also for its Squadron, which will be dissolved once its aircraft are withdrawn from service with the Navy.

The replacement for the AB-212 in the Spanish Navy will be the Airbus NH90 MSPT, a tactical transport version. The first unit arrived in Spain in January, specifically at the Airbus Helicopters facilities in Albacete. The Spanish Navy expects to receive seven NH90 MSPT between 2025 and 2026, which will be part of the 14th Squadron, officially established on May 8, 2024.

This Thursday, the Defense Staff (EMAD) published a video interviewing several members of the 3rd Squadron, who explain what their training has been like in the case of the pilots, how maintenance is done of these aircraft and the missions they carry out (the video is in Spanish, you can activate the automatic English subtitles in the bottom bar of the player):

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Photos: Elentir.