Spanish Navy and Air Force helicopters seen up close at Cuatro Vientos

Last Monday, October 12, on the occasion of Spain’s National Day, a major land and air parade took place in Madrid.

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The aerial parade featured 82 aircraft: 34 fighter and training aircraft, 16 transport aircraft, and 32 helicopters. The helicopters that took part in the parade came from the three main branches of the Armed Forces (the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force), as well as the Civil Guard’s Air Service (SAER), the National Police’s Air Assets Service, the Directorate-General for Traffic, and the Customs Surveillance Service.

Prior to the parade, the helicopters from the Navy and the Air Force gathered at the Cuatro Vientos Air Base, located west of the city of Madrid—as shown in this excellent video published by the YouTube channel Fly By Wire Aviation (which I recommend subscribing to if you are interested in aviation-related topics). (the video is in Spanish; you can turn on automatic English subtitles in the player). The video is in Spanish; you can turn on automatic English subtitles in the player:

Regarding the Spanish Navy’s Aircraft Flotilla (FLOAN), the video shows two Seahawks—an SH-60B for anti-submarine warfare (HS.23-05 01-1005) and an SH-60F for tactical transport (HT.23-13 01-1014)—from the 10th Squadron; an NH90 MSPT "Sable" tactical transport helicopter (HT.29-39 01-1401) from the 14th Squadron; and an H135 P3H "Nival" utility helicopter (HE.26-54A 01-1207) from the 12th Squadron—all of which are based in Rota (Cádiz).

The Air Force helicopters we see in the video are two H135 P3H training helicopters (the HE.26-42A 78-42 and the HE.26-46A 78-46) from the 781 Squadron of Wing 78, based in Armilla (Granada); an S-76 Spirit search and rescue helicopter (the HD.24-06 49-06) from the 801 Squadron of Wing 49, based in Son San Juan (Palma de Mallorca); an AS-532AL Cougar VIP transport helicopter (the HT.27-02 402-25) from the 402 Squadron of Wing 48, based in Cuatro Vientos (Madrid); and an NH90 GSPA "Lobo" transport and search and rescue helicopter (the HD.29-25 803-25) of the 803 Squadron of Wing 48, also based in Cuatro Vientos.

The video provides a very close-up look at these aircraft, revealing details not typically seen—particularly regarding the pre-flight visual inspections carried out by helicopter crews. Kudos to the channel Fly By Wire Aviation for the excellent quality of their videos, which are becoming a go-to resource for gaining a first-hand look at military and civil aviation in Spain.

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Main image: Fly By Wire Aviation. An SH-60B (HS.23-05 01-1005, left) and an SH-60F (HT.23-13 01-1014, right) from the 10th Squadron of the Spanish Navy’s Aircraft Flotilla.