The special VAMTACs of the EZAPAC of the Spanish Air Force seen up close

Last week, the city of Vigo hosted a major military exhibition to mark Spain's Armed Forces Day.

Spanish soldiers from EZAPAC during a shooting exercise in the US amid heightened tensions
EZAPAC: the green berets of the Spanish Air Force exhibit their means

As we already saw here, the Parachute Sapper Squadron (EZAPAC), the Spanish Air Force's special operations unit, set up an information tent at the exhibition. Next to it, they placed two High Mobility Tactical Vehicles (VAMTAC) ST5, a model manufactured in Galicia by the company Urovesa.

The two VAMTACs sent by the EZAPAC to Vigo were of two different versions. On the left we see a VMOE (Medium Special Operations Vehicle), in olive green and covered with camouflage netting, and on the right a 4PWL Weapon Carrier version in black, a particularity in our Armed Forces.

I spoke with an EZAPAC operator at the exhibition (it was a real honor) and he confirmed that this black color was applied to this vehicle during a deployment to Iraq. The Special Operations Forces (ISOF) of that country always use black uniforms and vehicles, and this way the EZAPAC vehicles blended in more easily. According to this EZAPAC member, the Squadron is very happy with these vehicles.

I have been looking for information and I found three photos of this same vehicle published by the Italian Air Force on March 6, during a tactical airlift training exercise for the crew of an Italian C-130J of the 46th Air Brigade.

As we can see, in that exercise this VAMTAC was painted in an arid color. It can be deduced that this vehicle only sported its new black paint for a short time in Iraq, since at the end of March the Spanish contingent in that country was ordered to return home due to the complicated situation created by the war in Iran. Perhaps that explains why its black paint is so immaculate.

This black VAMTAC ST5 is a long-body version. In Spain, VAMTACs of this type are only used by the Air Force and, in the case of the VERT version, by the Army. These VAMTACs were received by the EZAPAC in the spring of 2019.

In this photo we can see the two 20-liter jerrycans at the rear and its BN3 armored doors and side windows. Next to the rear door we see what appears to be a fold-out step for accessing the vehicle's roof.

One distinctive feature of this vehicle is its large number of communication antennas. We see six vertical antennas of varying sizes (two of them whip antennas on the left) and a high-frequency full-loop Q-type antenna for near-vertical incidence ionospheric (NVIS) communications, which is the circular antenna we see in the center. Specifically, it appears to be an L3Harris RF-3134-AT003/5 OTM, designed for communications on the move and also used on American Humvees. These antennas allow the crew of this VAMTAC to communicate with aerial vehicles during their operations.

At the front we can see the bumper, below it a winch and a wading tube to the right of the windshield. This photo was taken while the exhibit was being set up, so we see the turret without the gun.

Here we see a side view of the vehicle with the weapon already mounted on the turret. It's a 12.7 mm Browning M2 heavy machine gun. We can see that the turret has perimeter protection for the gunner, but it's a different model than the one this type of VAMTAC had at the time of its delivery. The original wading tube had angular shapes. You can see what it originally looked like here.

A front view of the vehicle showing the turret more clearly, protected by a thick armor plate on its front. Below it, we see an LED projector positioned above the windshield.

An enlarged image of the Browning M2 machine gun. It is a belt-fed weapon. On the right, we see the base for attaching the ammunition box to feed the weapon. Specifically, it is the M2HB version (for "heavy barrel"), a very common model weighing 38 kg. It has a lethal range of 1,800 meters and a rate of fire of between 450 and 635 rounds per minute. It is capable of destroying lightly armored vehicles.

Now let's talk about the VMOE. This is the special operations variant of the VAMTAC ST5. In Spain, it is used by the EZAPAC (Special Operations Squadron) and the Special Operations Command (MOE) of the Army. The VMOEs arrived at the EZAPAC two years ago. In September 2024, we saw one of them here with a desert paint scheme.

These vehicles have folding windshields and a small wading tube on their right side. Here we see the EZAPAC emblem on the vehicle's right door.

The VMOE is heavily armed. Its standard configuration includes three machine guns: one located in the front right seat, next to the driver; another in a rotating mount just behind them; and the third at the rear of the vehicle. Here we see a 7.62 mm FN MAG machine gun on a rotating mount in the center of the vehicle.

An image of the front of the vehicle. We see above the FN MAG machine gun and an FN Minimi Para MK1 5.56mm light machine gun on the seat next to the driver.

An FN Minimi Para Mk3 light machine gun is mounted on a swing-mount articulated arm at the rear of the vehicle. It is a concealed weapon, equipped with a bipod and Picatinny rails for attaching accessories. It is designed to be used by an EZAPAC operator as an individual weapon outside the vehicle.

The rear gunner's seat, in a photo taken during the exhibition setup and before the weapons were mounted on the vehicle. Behind it, we see more seats for the rest of the team and, to the left, a large red fire extinguisher.

A side view photo showing the upper and rear machine guns, and between them the Rheinmetall ROSY (Rapid Obscuring System) smoke grenade launcher, with five tubes that create a smoke screen to protect the vehicle. There is one ROSY launcher on each side of the VMOE. This system responds automatically to any threat by firing the smoke grenades in a fraction of a second.

A characteristic accessory of these special operations vehicles is the sand ladder, so named for its distinctive shape, which is used to free the vehicle if it becomes stuck in sand, snow, or mud. There is one on each side of the VMOE, which can be folded down while moving to load supplies or even to transport two wounded personnel on stretchers.

The VMOE also features BN3 armor plating on its doors, in addition to protected hinges, as seen in this photo. Small hatches for equipment or accessories are located on both sides of the vehicle, maximizing the use of available space.

The VMOE also has a winch on its front, as seen in this last image. Next to the winch, we see an accessory with a black rope and two rails with rubber protectors. From what I've read on Defensa.com, it's an adjustable bumper that can be used to push other vehicles if necessary.

You can see more images of these vehicles on my Flickr account and under this slideshow: