Armée Espagnole/Fuerzas Armadas Españolas

Rappel du premier message :

Ya era hora hermano, viva España y su industria naval.

RIP

Citation :

Les trois aviateurs espagnols disparus dans le crash de leur hélicoptère ont été retrouvés morts

2 Novembre 2015

Rédigé par Loïc et publié depuis Overblog


Photo : via El Pais - Les restes de l'hélicoptères AS332 Super Puma SAR.


Après plusieurs jours de recherches de la part des forces armées espagnoles, associées aux forces armées marocaines, l'Espagne a retrouvé les débris de l'hélicoptère AS332 Super Puma de l'Ejército del Aire (armée de l'air espagnole) qui s'est abîmé dans l'Océan Atlantique, aux larges des côtes du Sahara Occidental, avec trois aviateurs à son bord, le Jeudi 22 Octobre 2015.

L'épave a été retrouvée par quarante mètres de fond avec l'aide des radars de bord des dragueurs de mines Turia et Júcar appartenant à l'Armada Española. Des plongeurs militaires espagnols ont alors rejoint l'épave afin de confirmer qu'il s'agissait bien de l'hélicoptère qui était recherché, et de confirmer la présence des trois aviateurs espagnols, qui sont donc décédés dans le crash de l'appareil.

Le Ministre espagnol de la Défense, Pedro Morenés, a rencontré les familles des victimes et a indiqué, lors d'une conférence de presse, que la priorité était de «récupérer les corps et de les amener à bord du [navire militaire] Rayo». Cependant, cette étape a pris un peu plus de temps que ce qui était prévu raison des «conditions météorologiques terribles dans la région».

Toutefois, les corps ont été repêchés et une cérémonie militaire a eu lieu afin de leur rendre hommage et de les décorer à titre posthume.

Annoncés sains et saufs dans un premier temps par une annonce des forces armées du Maroc, les trois aviateurs n'avaient en réalité jamais été récupérés par les équipes SAR (Search And Rescue) ni même par le bateau de pêche marocain. Le Ministère espagnol de la Défense craignait notamment que les trois militaires aient été capturés par des pirates qui auraient demandé une rançon.

http://www.defens-aero.com/2015/11/trois-aviateurs-espagnols-disparu-crash-helicoptere-retrouves-morts.html

Bonjour,

Espagne confirme l'achat de Reaper y revise lesbudgets du programmes de missiles Meteor

http://www.defensa.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16871:espana-confirma-la-compra-del-reaper-y-revisa-los-presupuestos-del-programa-de-misiles-meteor&catid=54:espana&Itemid=162

Le Meteor y les Eurofighter Typhoon de la tranche III dans l'armé de l'Aire espagnole
http://www.defensa.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16876:el-meteor-y-los-eurofighter-typhoon-de-la-tranche-iii-en-el-ejercito-del-aire-espanol&catid=54:espana&Itemid=162

mes salutations

Citation :

The 'Juan Carlos I' Embarks US Aircraft Squadron
(Source: TeInteresa.es; posted Nov. 11, 2015)
(Posted in Spanish; unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com)

MADRID --- The Spanish navy ship 'Juan Carlos I' has taken aboard four MV-22 Osprey aircraft of the US Marine Corps Squadron VMM-261 deployed in the Airland Crisis Response Unit for Africa, and normally based at Moron de la Frontera (Sevilla).

As reported by the Spanish Navy, this constitutes a “first” for both the US and Spain, as never before has a US aircraft unit been part of an air wing embarked on a non-US Navy ship.

The combined air wing comprised six AV-8B Harrier planes and an AB-212 helicopter. The MV-22 Osprey performed main raids (long-distance flights) during joint missions carried out by US Marines, Portuguese 'fusileiros' and Spanish marines.

Troop movements were made between the ship "Juan Carlos I" and maneuvers at 'Pinheiro da Cruz' and 'Milfontes', located in Portugal, at distances of 75 and 105 miles respectively from the position of the 'Juan Carlos I.'

The MV-22 Osprey is a multipurpose military aircraft, classified as a tilt-rotor aircraft, which has both capacity for vertical and/or short takeoff and landing. It was designed to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the capabilities of high-speed cruise and long range of a turboprop aircraft.




http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/168715/marine-air-detachment-embarks-on-spanish-lhd.html

Citation :

Fuerzas Armadas Españolas

Citation :

Spanish ship embarks MV-22 Osprey squadron

David Ing, Madrid - IHS Jane's Navy International

16 November 2015


US Marine Corps (USMC) Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft on board the Spanish Navy's landing helicopter dock (LHD)
Juan Carlos I during NATO's 'Trident Juncture 2015' exercise Source: Spanish Navy


Key Points
•A Spanish Navy ship has embarked a USMC MV-22 Osprey squadron for the first time
•Embarkation demonstrates a greater level of interoperability between the two services

The Spanish Navy (Armada Española) has claimed to be the first non-US naval service to embark a squadron of the US Marine Corps' (USMC's) Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft on board one of its ships. The embarkation took place during Exercise 'Trident Juncture 2015' that started in early October 2015 and jointly hosted by Spain, Portugal and Italy.

The four Osprey transports, which combine the vertical lift-off capability of a helicopter with the higher speed and payload flight of a turbo-prop aircraft, are stationed at the Morón de la Frontera Air Base in southern Spain.

For 'Trident Juncture 2015' the aircraft were embarked with six of the Armada's AV-8B Harrier and an AB-212 helicopter from the 27,000-tonne landing helicopter dock (LHD) Juan Carlos I .

"This event is a historic achievement both for the Marines and the Armada Española," said the Spanish Navy. "Never before has an American [Osprey] squadron formed part of an air unit embarked on a ship that does not belong to the US Navy."

The role of the Ospreys during the exercise was to ferry mixed companies of US Marines and their Portuguese and Spanish counterparts, the Fuzileiros and Infantería de Marina respectively. The men were flown to two training areas in the south of Portugal; Pinheiro da Cruz at a distance of 75 miles from the mother ship, and Milfontes located 105 miles away.

The Ospreys were escorted during the insertion and extraction of the troops by the Spanish Navy's Harriers. In all 100 US Marines were embarked on the LHD, including support personnel, over a period of three days.

"Apart from the tactical missions, some of the US pilots had the opportunity to complete their deck landing qualifications, performing landings and take-off from different spots of the flight deck," an Armada spokesman told IHS Jane's .
 

Citation :

Spain and Airbus agree temporary reduction in A400M acquisition


Dec 2, 2015



The Spanish air force has agreed with Airbus Defence & Space to acquire an initially reduced fleet of 14 A400M tactical transports until a funding solution can be found for the remaining 13 of the type Madrid has committed to buy.

Speaking at SMi’s Military Airlift and Rapid Reaction Operations conference in Seville on 1 December, Maj Gen Pablo Jose Castillo of the air force’s air mobility command, said 14 A400Ms will be delivered to Spain by 2022 after which a decision will have to be made on how to proceed with the remainder of the acquisition – postponed until 2024.

The air force is struggling to fund the full acquisition and is in discussions with Airbus regarding its plans. Spain is contractually obliged to proceed with the full fleet, and a decision to reduce the buy or sell the remaining 13 aircraft to other customers would have to be agreed by the manufacturer and the Spanish government.

Despite this, Airbus says it “greatly welcomes” Spain’s decision to restructure the delivery schedule.

“This agreement brings clarity to the A400M production schedule into the next decade and ensures that the transformation of Spain’s air mobility fleet through the introduction of the A400M is conducted in a measured and sustainable way,” notes Airbus.

The first aircraft destined for Spain is due to be delivered in 2016, with its wings having arrived at the final assembly line in Seville in October, and under the new plans nine roll-on mission kits for the type will be provided that can be used on any of its 14 examples. That will include a defensive aids suite, satellite communications and in-flight refuelling pods.

“We expect to have at least nine fully operational aircraft,” Castillo says. “Nine is the magic number for us.”

The total number of A400Ms on order for all countries is 174, but Castillo notes that several nations are reassessing their acquisition to try and work out the ideal fleet size.

http://defence-blog.com/news/spain-and-airbus-agree-temporary-reduction-in-a400m-acquisition.html

Citation :

Spain to trial Piranha 5 8x8 AIFV

David Ing, Madrid - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly

06 December 2015


Spain is to trial the Piranha 5 8x8 under an agreement understood to have been signed on 4 December.
Source: GDELS


The Piranha 5 from General Dynamics (GD) has taken a step nearer to becoming the future 8x8 armoured infantry fighting vehicle (AIFV) for the Spanish Army, with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signing an agreement for it to be put through extensive technological trials.

While a definitive purchase is still to be agreed, industry sources have told IHS Jane's that preparing the vehicle for a test package makes the Piranha "now almost certain" to be the final choice.

It is understood that five vehicles will be used for tests as part of a programme that will run through 2017. The following year the MoD is expected to give its final decision on a planned acquisition of between 300 and 400 vehicles. Besides GD, the project also involves SAPA, for the motors, and Indra for the command and control and missions systems.

Neither the company nor the ministry has commented yet on the technological trial contract, but the source says it was signed on 4 December.

Earlier this year the Spanish government allotted EUR89 million (USD97 million) for the 8x8 development programme for what it calls the Vehículo de Combate sobre Ruedas (VCR): a project that is being financed by the Ministry of Industry.

Once a purchase is agreed, initial orders are expected to focus on troop carriers and scouting and command versions before following up with more specialist versions in later orders.

The initial acquisition is likely to be worth between EUR1.1 billion and EUR1.5 billion.

The new 8x8 is due to replace the ageing and under-armoured BMR (Blindado Medio de Ruedas), which has been in service for more than 30 years.

http://www.janes.com/article/56475/spain-to-trial-piranha-5-8x8-aifv

Citation :

Marine Nationale a ajouté 3 nouvelles photos.

Au large de Barcelone, un hélicoptère Tigre, un Cougar et un Chinook de Armée de Terre basés à Séville ont effectué des séances d’appontages
sur le pont d’envol du Bâtiment de Projection et de Commandement (BPC) Dixmude. Cette activité de préparation opérationnelle franco-espagnole a
permis aux pilotes espagnols de s’entraîner à l’appontage sur BPC et à l’équipage de renforcer une fois de plus l’interopérabilité avec des alliés.




© Marine nationale
 

Citation :

Spain to keep Patriot SAMs in Turkey

David Ing, Madrid - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly

14 December 2015


   
The Spanish government has approved the continued deployment of Patriot SAMs to Turkey for another year. Source: Spanish Army  


The Spanish government has authorised the renewal of Spain's main overseas military missions for 2016, including the two Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) batteries helping guard NATO ally Turkey's southern border with Syria.

This particular renewal had been in doubt after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in Madrid admitted it had been surprised by the announcement earlier this year by the United States and Germany that they were withdrawing their batteries.

The MoD said then that it would be discussing its own situation with other NATO allies, only for the cabinet to agree to the yearlong extension at its last meeting before the 20 December general election.

Other missions approved included a fresh commitment of four C.16 Eurofighter Typhoons and their support personnel to NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission from January-May 2016.

The cabinet authorisation covers 12 international missions and just over 2,000 personnel, ranging from five people in Bosnia to nearly 400 committed to the anti-piracy Operation 'Atalanta' naval mission off Somalia. The largest deployment is for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) where the year-long extension allows for the number of Spanish troops to be upped from 650 to 750 if Spain takes over a command role.

Citation :

Navantia termine l’allongement des 4 sous-marins espagnols de la classe S-80



Par Rédacteur en chef.
Publié le 18 décembre 2015, dernière mise à jour le 18 décembre 2015.

La première étape permettant de garantir que les 4 sous-marins de la classe S-80 puissent flotter, est déjà terminée au chantier naval de Carthagène. Chaque sous-marin a été allongé de 10 m, afin de mieux répartir le poids du sous-marin et lui éviter de couler.

Un anneau de coque épaisse a été inséré dans la coque de chaque sous-marin. Il s’agit d’une étape nécessaire pour corriger les « écarts liés à l’équilibre des poids ».

Concrètement, la construction des sous-marins avait été suspendue au début 2013, lorsqu’il avait été constaté que le 1er sous-marin de la série, l’Isaac Peral, était trop lourd de 75 à 100 tonnes, compte-tenu de sa longueur.

Après avoir mis en pratique la solution proposée par des ingénieurs américains, Navantia va maintenant se concentrer sur les modifications à apporter aux autres parties du sous-marin.

Référence : La Verdad (Espagne)

http://www.corlobe.tk/spip.php?article40197

Citation :

La marine espagnole fera un autre grand carénage à ses sous-marins avant la mise en service des S-80


Par Rédacteur en chef.
Publié le 7 janvier 2016, dernière mise à jour le 7 janvier 2016.


L’amiral d’Action Maritime (Almart), le vice-amiral Manuel de la Puente Mora-Figueroa, a annoncé lors de la Pascua militar de Carthagène, que la marine nationale prévoyait de faire effectuer un 5è grand carénage à ses sous-marins actuellement opérationnels : le Galerna, le Mistral et le Tramontana. Cette décision découle des retards accumulés dans la construction des S-80. De cette manière, la vie utile serait prolongée pour 5 ans, une durée suffisante pour que Navantia livre, au moins, le premier d’entre eux.

« Cette année, il est prévu de terminer les études pour effectuer un 5è grand carénage des sous-marins. Nous attendons le rapport de conseillers de la marine française. Une fois que nous les aurons, cela pourra se faire pour prolonger leur vie utile jusqu’à l’entrée en service des sous-marins de la classe S-80 », a expliqué l’amiral De la Puente Mora-Figueroa.

Le Tramontana se trouve au chantier naval depuis septembre, où on réalise son 4è et dernier grand carénage. La facture de ces travaux s’élève à 42,9 millions €. Ils occuperont quelques 300 professionnels de différentes spécialités de l’industrie navale, entre le personnel de Navantia et celui des sous-traitants. Il sera à flot, selon la marine, après le printemps.

Le Galerna serait le premier à entrer en carénage, bien qu’il n’y ait pas de date fixée pour cela. Ce serait ensuite le Mistral puis le dernier serait le Tramontana.

Le premier exemplaire des sous-marins de la classe S-80 pourrait être livré à la marine espagnole en 2018. Les 3 autres suivraient les années suivantes.

Référence : La Verdad (Espagne)

http://www.corlobe.tk/spip.php?article40284

Citation :

Indra to develop NH90 simulators for Spain

David Ing, Madrid - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
11 January 2016



Indra has won a EUR77 million (USD83.6 million) order to develop a flight simulator system for the Spanish Armed Forces' NHIndustries NH90 utility helicopters, the company announced on 12 January.

Due to be ready for 2020, it will be located at Agoncillo Air Base in northern Spain and be linked with other Indra-developed simulators the Chinook, Cougar, and H135 helicopters at Colmenar de Viejo near Madrid, and for the Tiger at Almagro, south of the capital.

The company said all the simulators will be "completely integrated, making it the most advanced military helicopter simulation centre in Europe".

Citation :

Armada Española

PHOTOS:

The Kynos Aljaba tank transporter in in service with Spain and South Africa

Citation :

Spanish Army Bolsters Special Forces Against Jihadism
By Esteban Villarejo 3 p.m. EST January 17, 2016



MADRID — The Spanish Army will strengthen its specialized units against jihadism with the creation of a fourth Special Operations Force, Grupo de Operaciones Especiales (GOE). These military groups, framed in the Special Operations Command, Mando de Operaciones Especiales (MOE), have been deployed in multinational training missions in Mali and Iraq during the last three years. They also carried out the opening mission in the Central African Republic in 2012.

"The foundation of the new GOE is an aftermath of the current operating scenario where special operations forces are developing an essential role. The new unit will enable us to expand our deployment capability in missions abroad," a Spanish Army source told Defense News.

The welcoming ceremony for the new GOE unit, Granada II, took place on Jan. 15 at the headquarters in Alicante. This new unit will join Valencia III, Tercio de Ampurdán IV and Legionario Maderal Oleaga XIX. The estimated number of troops for these four elite Army groups is around 600.

Training in Iraq

This number will not increase in the short term, but the fourth GOE lays the groundwork for developing a structure that could boost troop levels.

"The special operations units cannot grow overnight. The Special Operations Command is making a significant effort of recruitment and training that cannot be carried out in large quantities and quickly. Initially we will not have a significant increase of troops but we hope to grow gradually in a medium-term horizon," the same source said.

Known as the "green berets" in the Spanish Army, the MOE is now deployed in Iraq where it is training the Iraqi Army and special forces in the cities of Baghdad and Taji in counter-terrorism and emergency response. One of those Iraqi units took part in the battle of Ramadi against ISIS.

Moreover, the restructuring of special operations in the Spanish Army will lead to an organization of "a group of troops of other existing units in the Army to support special forces operations. These units will follow a specific training program to enable them to operate in optimal conditions with special operations groups.

"Among those units we will have NBC [nuclear, biological and chemical protection], EOD [explosive ordnance disposal] , electronic warfare, dogs, civil affairs, drones, advanced recognition companies and, of course, a helicopter unit trained to work with special operations units." the source said.

What kind of new materials will this new organization require from the Spanish Defense Ministry?

"Particularly critical is everything related to intelligence-gathering, night vision and communications."

Spanish Concern in Sahel

The MOE is also deployed in the European Union mission to train the Mali Army against al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

Alongside with French armed forces, Spanish interests are also very focused on the destabilized scenario of the Sahel, with Mali as its main mission along with other operations to enhance military capabilities in Mauritania and Niger.

"Libya is our growing concern abroad," a Defense Ministry source said.

In 2014, the Spanish MoD created the Joint Special Operations Command to coordinate the activities of Army special operations forces with the other units from the Navy (Naval Special Warfare Force) and Air Force (Parachute Combat Engineer/Sapper Squadron). This Joint Command expects to achieve full operational capability this year.

Email: evillarejo@defensenews.com




http://www.defensenews.com/

Citation :

SNA 2016: UK France Italy and Spain Said to be Interested in Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey

By Xavier Vavasseur
A number of European countries have shown interest in the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, Navy Recognition has learned during the Surface Navy Association's (SNA) National Symposium held last week near Washington DC. Among them are the UK, France, Italy and Spain.

"If international partners orders can be added to the US order as part of Multi Year 3, it could drive the V-22 price down" said John R. Parker, Senior Manager, Tiltrotor Global Sales & Marketing at Boeing. Navy Recognition understands that the idea is that if these European countries can pool their orders with the USMC and US Navy upcoming orders, there is a good chance that the tiltrotor aircraft would become affordable to them.

"In the case of the UK and France, the interest is coming from the Navy" according to Parker. The Royal Navy and Marine Nationale are likely looking for an aircraft to conduct Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) missions. The UK Navy is set to commissions two new aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) in 2017 and HMS Prince of Wales (R09) in 2020. The French Navy operates one nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, but doesn't have COD aircraft. Back in June 2011 two US Navy C-2A(R) Greyhounds from VRC-40 conducted COD missions for the French aircraft carrier operating in the Mediterranean Sea during the NATO intervention in Libya.

Contacted by Navy Recognition, a public affairs officer from Naval Air Systems Command (managing the V-22 program) said in an email: "There is an upcoming trip to Europe for Government to Government discussions. However, at this point, there are no details which can be released."

As we reported during Sea Air Space 2015, the US Navy is set to procure 48 Ospreys for Sea Based Logistics (including COD), Personnel recovery (including SAR) and Special warfare (with US Navy Seals) missions. The US Navy is studying options to increase the range of the legacy V-22. The likely solution will be to increase the size of the external sponsons to fit more fuel inside. This would be the only physical difference with legacy V-22. The official Navy designation has yet to be selected.



http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3475

Citation :

Spanish Marines conduct mechanized training...  





http://snafu-solomon.blogspot.fr/2016/01/spanish-marines-conduct-mechanized.html

Citation :

Spain to receive additional Victrix simulators from Indra

22 January 2016
The Spanish Ministry of Defence (MoD) has contracted Indra to supply additional Victrix shooting simulators for the nation's armed forces.

Under the undisclosed-value contract, the company will supply six simulators, two to be used by the air force, two by ground forces, one by the navy, and one by the royal guard.

The Victrix system features an intelligent tactical environment that enables virtual reproduction of common mission situations, such as advancing through a street in a hostile urban environment, on a large screen.

The simulator allows soldiers to use their own weapons, such as the Spanish Armed Forces' H&K G36 assault rifle, adapted with a laser and a compressed air system to simulate recoil.

The simulators are designed to conduct various agility and precision exercises, such as those undertaken at a shooting range.

They have been upgraded to simulate the use of a new combat firearm, and feature new exercises for optimising equipment consumption.

The upgraded simulators feature a hostile fire device, latest-generation projectors, and more powerful graphical and processing units, which allow users to design their own exercises and exploit data gathered during training.

The contract brings the total number of Victrix simulators received by Spain to 34.

Manufactured at Indra's Centre of Excellence in Leon, Spain, the simulators are scheduled to be delivered throughout 2016.





http://www.army-technology.com/news/newsspain-to-receive-additional-victrix-simulators-from-indra-4791579

Citation :

La marine espagnole confirme la réalisation d’un 5è grand carénage de ses sous-marins S-70


Par Rédacteur en chef.
Publié le 3 février 2016, dernière mise à jour le 3 février 2016.

Le chef de la section de la flotte sous-marine à l’état-major de la marine, le capitaine de vaisseau Pedro de la Puente García Ganges, a confirmé la tenue de réunions avec le personnel de DCNS, qui a conçu les S-70 — classe Agosta, pour mettre au point les opérations à effectuer pour déterminer la possibilité de prolonger la vie de ces sous-marins, au travers de la planification de leur 5è grand carénage.

Dans un entretien dans le dernier Bulletin d’Informations de la Marine, l’officier souligne que le problème le plus important auquel fait face la marine, en ce qui concerne la force sous-marine, c’est de « faire avancer un projet si innovant et technologiquement complexe que le S-80, dans une époque si difficile sur le plan financier. » Il ajoute que les retards du programme, dus principalement aux modifications de conception, ont entrainé « des ajustements de calendrier de livraison. Cela implique aussi d’effectuer des ajustements tant dans la formation des personnels que dans l’entretien des sous-marins Agosta actuels ».

L’officier explique que le Galerna et le Mistral sont opérationnels et que le Tramontana subit son 4è grand carénage. « Les Agosta accomplissent l’effort opérationnel nécessaire qui permet à la marine de réaliser toutes les nécessités d’entraînement, tant nationales qu’internationales, et opérationnelles, participant à leurs propres missions (patrouilles) et à l’extérieur. »

Référence : Info Defensa (Espagne)

http://www.corlobe.tk/spip.php?article40442

Citation :

Spain To fly Predator B Reaper Drones


By Tamir Eshel - Feb 18, 2016



The government of Spain has selected General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) to deliver Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems to the Spanish Air Force. The aircraft will support the nation’s airborne surveillance and reconnaissance requirements. The Spanish Ministry of Defense has awarded GA-ASI the delivery of one Predator B RPA system for the Spanish Armed Forces to include four aircraft equipped with MTS-B Electro-optical/ Infrared (EO/IR) sensors and GA-ASI’s Block 20A Lynx Multi-mode Radar, two Block 30 Ground Control Stations (GCS), and Satellite Communications (SATCOM) and Line-of-Sight (LOS) data link capabilities by means of a Spanish-U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement.

The Spanish MoD allocated EUR25 million euros (US$27 million) for the program in 2016 and is expected spend EUR171 million (US$188 million) for the full procurement through 2020. Spain favored the Reaper over the Heron TP proposed by a IAI and Airbus.


GA-ASI Has teamed with the Spanish group SENER as technological teammate. “We look forward to working with teammate SENER,” said Linden Blue, GA-ASI CEO, he added that the company is developing collaborative partnerships with other Spanish companies to help ensure the long-term success of the program.

GA-ASI’s multi-mission Predator B is a long-endurance, medium-high-altitude RPA that features an extensive payload capacity (850 lb/386 kg internally, 3,750 lb/1,700 kg externally), with a maximum altitude of 50,000 feet/15240 meters, and can stay aloft for up to 27 hours. Complementing this capability, SENER and Spanish industry will leverage their proven engineering and manufacturing experience to optimize sustainment and capability of the Predator B system in support of the Spanish Armed Forces.

Predator B is currently operationalwith the U.S. Air Force, Royal Air Force, French Air Force and the Italian Air Force.Some 245 Predator B aircraft have amassed more than one million flight hours since first flight in 2001.

http://defense-update.com/20160218_spain-to-fly-predator-b-reaper-drones-2.html