The Spanish Army's BHELEME II Cougar helicopters in firefighting operations

The Spanish Armed Forces have aerial firefighting resources in two of their branches: the Air Force and the Army.

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Without a doubt, the most famous unit in this type of mission is the 43rd Group of the Air Force, equipped with amphibious aircraft (10 CL-215T and 4 CL-415) with the ability to land on rivers, reservoirs or areas near the coast to load water and drop it on forest fires.

Hay otra unidad militar menos conocida pero que también dispone de capacidad de lucha contra el fuego: el Batallón de Helicópteros de Emergencias II (BHELEME II), una unidad que tiene el indicativo de radio "Turia". Este batallón está dividido en dos unidades con distintos propósitos operativos: en primer lugar está el Subgrupo de Helicópteros Medios, ubicado en la Base "Jaime I" de Bétera (Valencia) y que está equipado con tres helicópteros AS-532AL Cougar. Además, en la Base "Coronel Maté" de Colmenar Viejo, en Madrid, está el Subgrupo de Helicópteros Ligeros, equipado con cuatro helicópteros EC-135 T2+.

There is another, less well-known military unit that also possesses firefighting capabilities: the Second Emergency Helicopter Battalion (BHELEME II), whose radio call sign is "Turia." This battalion is divided into two units with different operational purposes: first, the Medium Helicopter Subgroup, located at the "Jaime I" Base in Bétera (Valencia), equipped with three AS-532AL Cougar helicopters. Additionally, at the "Coronel Maté" Base in Colmenar Viejo, Madrid, is the Light Helicopter Subgroup, equipped with four EC-135 T2+ helicopters.

The missions of BHELEME II are to provide support and assistance to the civilian population in case of catastrophe and to support the work of the Intervention Battalions of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), on which BHELEME II depends operationally, in addition to tasks of aid, rescue and firefighting.

These first three photos, which you can see here, were published today by the Spanish Army, showing the intervention of the Cougars from BHELEME II in the efforts to extinguish the forest fire in Pinofranqueado (Cáceres). The following three photos were published by the UME and correspond to the same intervention by this unit.

BHELEME II received its first Cougar helicopter on December 22, 2010. It flew from the Eurocopter factory in Albacete to the FAMET base in Bétera, piloted by the then battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Vicente León Zafra. The plan was to acquire 15 Cougar helicopters for the unit, but budget cuts considerably reduced the final fleet. The unit received its fourth Cougar on March 21, 2013.

Initially, the helicopters retained the three-color camouflage of the other FAMET aircraft, but with a diagonal yellow stripe with two red lines painted on the tail to make them more visible and indicate their role as rescue aircraft. Finally, the helicopters were painted with several areas in a reflective orange color (on the upper and lower surfaces, the rear wheel fairings, and the lower tail fin).

BHELEME II reached its initial operational capability in August 2009 with three AS-332 Super Puma medium helicopters deployed in Bétera, temporarily loaned by FAMET until the delivery of the Cougars, and the four EC-135s from Colmenar Viejo. The BHELEME II EC-135 fleet consists of the following units: HU.26-07 (ET-195), HU.26-10 (ET-196), HU.26-11 (ET-197) and HU.26-12 (ET-198).

The initial fleet of four Cougars of BHELEME II consisted of the following helicopters: HU.27-01 (ET-668), HU.27-02 (ET-669), HU.27-03 (ET-670), and HU.27-04 (ET-671). HU.27-02 (ET-669) was destroyed during a training flight in Requena (Valencia) on September 10, 2015, with its tail section breaking off. The helicopter was decommissioned, and the unit currently maintains three operational Cougars.

The AS-532AL Cougar, also called the Cougar Mk-1, has a maximum speed of 222 km/h, a range of 1,100 km, and a maximum takeoff weight of 9,000 kg. It carries a crew of three: pilot, co-pilot, and flight mechanic. Depending on the mission, the crew may also include a FLIR viewer operator, a rescue hoist operator, and two rescuers.

The Cougars of BHELEME II are equipped and certified to operate with helibuckets or "Bambi Buckets", with a maximum capacity of 2,850 liters and a usable capacity of 2,100 liters. These accessories, which are hung from a ventral hook of the aircraft, allow the helicopters to collect water from reservoirs, rivers, and even swimming pools, facilitating firefighting efforts by providing water supplies at close range. BHELEME II has two types of "Bambi Buckets": the BBT 4453, with a capacity of 2,000 liters, and the BBT 6578, with a capacity of 2,500 liters. These last photos of the Cougars of BHELEME II were taken by me on August 27, 2013 during their intervention in a forest fire in Santa María de Oya (Pontevedra).

The AS-532AL Cougar helicopters are equipped for their specific missions, such as a FLIR turret in the nose (allowing crews to see thermal signals in low-visibility conditions), a rescue hoist, and floats. Crews also have night-vision goggles to operate after dark.

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Main photo Elentir. Rest of the photos: Ejército de Tierra / Unidad Militar de Emergencias / Elentir.