{"id":60006,"date":"2025-06-23T22:09:54","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T20:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=60006"},"modified":"2025-06-30T21:38:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T19:38:56","slug":"the-old-gatos-of-the-spanish-navy-embark-again-but-painted-green","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2025\/06\/23\/the-old-gatos-of-the-spanish-navy-embark-again-but-painted-green\/","title":{"rendered":"The old 'Gatos' of the Spanish Navy embark again but painted green"},"content":{"rendered":"

On July 30th, it will be one year since the Spanish Navy's farewell ceremony to its AB-212+ \"Gatos\" (Cats) helicopters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Farewell to the Third Squadron of the Spanish Navy, but not to its AB-212 helicopters<\/a><\/rel>
\nThe AB-212 'Gato' helicopters of the Spanish Navy seen up close and in great detail<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

That event was also the farewell to the Third Squadron<\/strong>, founded in 1965 and which began flying with Agusta-Bell AB-204B helicopters. As we saw then, the Spanish Navy's AB-212s were waiting for a second life with the Spanish Army's Airmobile Forces (FAMET)<\/a>, when they were transferred to the Sixth Manoeuvre Helicopter Battalion (BHELMA VI), created in 1986 and based in Los Rodeos, Tenerife.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
The last flight of an AB-212+ with the Spanish Navy at the farewell ceremony of the Third Squadron held this Tuesday, July 30, 2024 at the Rota Naval Base (Photo: Armada Espa\u00f1ola).<\/div>\n

For BHELMA VI, the arrival of the \"Gatos\" is a blessing<\/strong>. That battalion operated three AB-212s purchased in the 1980s and which, unlike the Navy's AB-212+, had not been modernized. Those three AB-212s from BHELMA VI should have been retired by 2017<\/strong>, and the arrival of the AB-212+ will surely serve to retire those three old AB-212s from service.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
One of the three AB-212s operated by the Army's BHELMA VI before the arrival of the Navy's \"Gatos\" (Photo: Ej\u00e9rcito de Tierra<\/a>).<\/div>\n

The Navy's \"Gatos\" have considerable improvements over their Army counterparts. Among other things, they were equipped with an EO\/IR surveillance system (using the detection and acquisition of light and thermal radiation), \"an AIS transceiver for naval reconnaissance and a GPS navigation system with moving map display<\/strong>, incorporated into a mission tactical computer (MTC) that enables the integration of signals from all systems and displays them on the EFIS screens,\"<\/em> the Navy said<\/a>. All of these new systems are compatible for flight with night vision goggles.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The adaptation of the AB-212+ for the FAMET is the responsibility of the company Pegasus Aero Group<\/a>, based in Palma del R\u00edo (C\u00f3rdoba). In April 2025, the Canary Islands Command (MCANA) of the Army published these photos of the first of the six AB-212+ \"Gato\" delivered to the FAMET<\/a>, the ET-281 HU.18-20. The helicopter has lost its traditional naval grey and is now painted NATO green, the scheme already used by the AB-212s so far in service on the BHELMA VI.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The new BHELMA VI helicopters are distinguished from their predecessors externally by the radar installed above their cockpit<\/strong>, as well as by the rescue crane installed next to the starboard hatch. Two reminders of their naval past that will now be useful to the Army.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

For the crews, the big news is inside the cockpit<\/strong>, as the AB-212+ have large digital screens instead of purely analog instruments. Last year I showed you those screens on here.<\/a> Here you can see the video published by MCANA showing the arrival of this helicopter:<\/p>\n

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\u00a1Buenos d\u00edas! Arrancamos la \u00faltima semana de \ud83d\uddd3abril dejando unas imagenes de la llegada al Acuartelamiento de Los Rodeos #BHELMA_VI<\/a> \ud83d\ude81 del
ET - 281, primer AB 212+ procedente de La Armada.@MCANA_ET<\/a> @Armada_esp<\/a>@EjercitoTierra<\/a> \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\udde6 pic.twitter.com\/sVaQ8YjqLF<\/a><\/p>\n

— Mando de Canarias (@MCANA_ET) April 28, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n