The striking reduction in the number of planes at the October 12 air parade in Madrid

Contrary to what some people think, a military parade is more than just a celebration or a mere military spectacle.

The Formación Mirlo will relieve the Patrulla Águila with PC-21 aircraft on October 12
The sad farewell of the Patrulla Águila to the C-101 Aviojet, the Spanish 'derradeiro' jet

First and foremost, a military parade serves as an act of unity between the Armed Forces and the society they protect. In this sense, these types of events are a fundamental element of something that is quite neglected in some countries: the promotion of defense culture, which is just as important for a country as having good military equipment.

Secondly, parades are a display of a country's military power. It's like our showcase to the world, a showcase in which other countries can see our ability to defend ourselves against any threat. That's why these types of events are so important, even though some (usually those who show open contempt for their own country) insist on criticizing and ridiculing them.

What we have just reviewed is what justifies the care with which these types of events are organized, and that is why the numbers of the parades and the personnel and material taking part in them are of greater importance than merely aesthetics. I comment on all this in relation to the parade for the National Holiday of Spain that will be held on Sunday, October 12 in Madrid, an event that will feature the participation of the Armed Forces, the Civil Guard, and the National Police.

The press kit for this parade released by the Ministry of Defense (see PDF) states that 45 aircraft and 29 helicopters will be participating in the air parade. This figure should attract the attention of defense experts, as it will be the lowest scheduled number of aircraft in four years. You can see the scheduled numbers for parades in recent years here:

• 2025: 45 airplanes and 29 helicopters.
• 2024: 56 airplanes and 29 helicopters (suspended due to bad weather).
• 2023: 57 airplanes and 29 helicopters.
• 2022: 58 airplanes and 26 helicópteros.
• 2021: 41 airplanes and 27 helicopters.
• 2020: 7 airplanes (very reduced event due to the pandemic).
• 2019: 50 aviones y 29 helicópteros.
• 2018: 56 airplanes and 26 helicopters (suspended due to bad weather).
• 2017: 49 airplanes and 28 helicopters.
• 2016: 43 airplanes and 15 helicopters (suspended due to bad weather).
• 2015: 36 airplanes and 17 helicopters.

The 2025 dossier indicates that next Sunday's parade will include 20 fighters in different formations (9 EF-18M Hornets and 7 Eurofighters from the Air Force and 4 Harrier II from the Navy; I am not including the F-5Ms because they are training aircraft). 26 fighters were scheduled for the 2024 parade (which did not take place due to bad weather) and 2023 parade (12 Eurofighters, 10 EF-18M Hornets and 4 Harrier IIs). One possible cause of this reduction could be the current deployment of 8 Spanish Eurofighters in Lithuania. However, in 2023, October 12 coincided with the deployment of 8 Spanish Eurofighters in Estonia, and that did not mean fewer fighters in the air parade.

The reduction in the number of aircraft in the parade is also due to the disappearance of the Patrulla Águila (made up of seven C-101 Aviojet aircraft) and its replacement by the Formación Mirlo (made up of five PC-21 aircraft). In 2024, 6 PC-21s were scheduled to take part in the parade, representing the General Air Academy (AGA). The farewell of the Patrulla Águila and the C-101s has a significant impact on this year's reduction in numbers, to which must be added two A400M Atlas transport aircraft from the 31st Wing compared to three last year.

Certainly, the reduction in the number of fighters is the most striking and worrying fact. The EF-18M and the Eurofighters are the spearhead of the Spanish Air Force's defense of Spanish airspace. Does this reduction imply operational problems? I don't know. In any case, this smaller number of aircraft in the October 12 parade seems strange given the current state of defense in Europe. While other countries increase their investment in defense and are careful to display their military power in the face of the threat of Russian expansionism (the clearest case is Poland, which held a double parade in August in Warsaw and the Hel Peninsula on the occasion of its Armed Forces Day), the image of Spanish military power is losing steam. It is incomprehensible.

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Photos: Ministerio de Defensa / Elentir.