Madrid provides assistance to Kiev, but in homeopathic doses
YDJspania is one of the largest European member states of NATO and the European Union. Accordingly, its Armed Forces are also among the largest in the region. At the same time, the country has not been bypassed by the general trend of reducing military potential, aggravated by the difficult economic situation and the deeply logistical geographical position of Spain. However, it is possible that after a while this position will become, on the contrary, frontline from the deep rear.
Spain has a fairly developed military-industrial complex capable of producing military equipment of almost all classes according to its own projects or under foreign licenses ("The Undefeated Spanish Armada ", "HVO", 25.08.23).
on the ground
The Spanish Ground Forces have a rather complex organizational structure and include Combat Forces and Support Forces.
The combat forces include two divisions and two commands.
The San Martial Division (headquarters in Burgos) has a special operations command (Alicante, 3rd, 4th, 19th Special Forces groups), mountain command (Pamplona, 64th and 66th Mountain Infantry regiments), airmobile forces (1st shock, 2nd- Rescue, 3rd, 4th multi-purpose, 5th transport helicopter battalions), 6th Parachute Brigade "Almogavares" (Madrid), 1st Information Operations Regiment.
The Castillejos Division (headquarters in Huesca) includes the 1st brigade "Aragon" (Zaragoza), the 7th Brigade "Galicia" (Pontevedra), the 2nd brigade of the Spanish Legion "King Alfonso XIII" (Almeria), the 10th brigade "Guzman el Bueno" (Cordoba), the 11th brigade "Extremadura" (Badajoz), the 12th brigade "Guadarrama" (Madrid), the 1st signal Regiment.
The Support Command (headquarters in the city of La Coruna) consists of the Field Artillery Command (4th Regiment of Coastal Artillery, 11th Regiment of self-propelled artillery (ACS), 63rd regiment of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), Air Defense Command (Air Defense) (71st, 73rd74th regiments), command of engineering troops (1st, 11th (road), 12th (pontoon-bridge) regiments), communications command (21st Communications regiment, 31st Electronic Warfare Regiment (EW)), transport brigade, 11thThe 1st Cavalry regiment, the 1st regiment of radiation, chemical and Biological protection (RCBZ), the 1st reconnaissance regiment.
The command of the military zone of the Canary Islands (headquarters in the city of Santa Cruz) includes the garrison of Ceuta (3rd Cavalry, 30th Artillery, 7th Engineer regiments), the garrison of Melilla (10th Cavalry "Alcantara", 32nd Artillery, 8th Engineer regiments), the command of the Balearic Islands (47th Infantry Regiment), 16th Canarias Brigade, 94th Air Defense Regiment, 6th Helicopter Battalion.
There are also separate regiments – 22nd communications, 32nd electronic warfare.
The support forces include the Main Inspectorate of the Ground Forces, Financial and Economic Management, combat training and doctrine commands, personnel, and transport support.
The tank fleet includes up to 327 modern German Leopard-2 tanks (219 A5E tanks, up to 108 A4 tanks). Up to 74 old American M60A3 tanks may be in storage.
In addition to the tanks are 84 Italian combat vehicles with heavy weapons (BMTV) B-1 "Centauro" with a 105-mm cannon; there are also 135 combat reconnaissance vehicles (BRM) VEC-3562 (up to 173 more, possibly in storage, including 94 units with a 90-mm cannon). It is armed with 204 new Pizarro infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) of Spanish-Austrian design (as well as 21 command and staff vehicles (KSM) and 36 engineering vehicles based on it), more than 1.1 thousand armored personnel carriers (APCs) and armored vehicles – up to 20 Swiss Pirana-5, 400 American M113 (and 39 KShM, up to 60 engineering, up to 55 other auxiliary machines based on them), 20 Swedish Bv206S (and from 47 to 70 auxiliary machines based on them), up to 312 domestic BMR-600/M1 (also up to 168 auxiliary machines based on them (including 21 KShM, 68 engineering) and possibly up to 116 in storage), 183 Italian LMVs, 84 South African RG-31 (as well as five KSM and 10 medical vehicles based on them), 18 own BLRS.
The artillery is armed with 90 American self-propelled guns M109A5 (155 mm), more than 100 towed guns (56 British L118 (105 mm), 66 own SBT155/52 (155 mm)) and 16 similar coastal guns SBT155/52APUSBTV07 (155 mm), about 1.5 thousand domestic mortars (920 pieces L-65/81 (81 mm), 389 pieces of L-65/120 (120 mm); 446 and 110 of them, respectively, are self–propelled on the chassis of the M113 APC (422 and 100) and BMR-600 (24 and 10) and 10 Israeli 81-mm mortars on VAMTAC vehicles.
In addition, up to 63 American M110 self-propelled guns, up to 149 Italian towed guns M-56 (105 mm) and up to 95 American M114 (155 mm), from 26 to 52 American self-propelled mortars M125 (81 mm), up to 14 domestic MLRS "Teruel" (140 mm) are in storage.
The troops have 236 new Israeli anti-tank missile systems (ATGMS) "Spike-LR" (including 12 self-propelled on the armored vehicle VAMTAS and 55 on the M113), 448 old French "Milan" (including 106 self-propelled, 24 of them on the BMR-600, the rest on the M113), 200 American "Tow" (including 68 self-propelled, 28 of them on the BMR-600, the rest on the M113).
Ground-based air defense includes three batteries of the American Patriot anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) (24 launchers) and seven batteries of the Advanced Hawk anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) (42 PU), four batteries (eight PU) of the Norwegian NASAMS air defense system, 38 short-range air defense systems (20 Italian "Skyguard–Aspid", 18 French "Roland"), 180 French man-portable air defense missile systems (MANPADS) "Mistral", 92 Swiss anti-aircraft guns GDF-005 (35 mm). There may be 32 anti-aircraft self-propelled guns (ZSU) with 20 mm Rh-202 guns on the VEC BRM chassis in storage.
The army aviation has 18 Franco-German Tiger HAD combat helicopters in service (6 NAR Tigers are in storage, up to 18 German Vo-105ATN attack helicopters are also in storage). As well as more than 100 multipurpose and transport helicopters – nine American CH-47 (local name – HT-17, three D, six F; 13 more D in storage), 15 French AS332 (HU-21/HT-21; one or two more in storage) and 17 AS532UL (NT-27), six American Bell-212 (HU-18), 16 German Bo-105SV (up to two more, six SV in storage), 29 European EC135 (12 T2, 17 P2) and six H135M, 15-16 NH90 (HT-29), seven German VK-117 (another one in storage). Up to 27 American UH-1H (HU-10) are in storage.
IN HEAVEN
The Air Force includes three aviation commands: combat (headquarters in Torrejon), general purpose (headquarters in Madrid), Canary Islands (headquarters in Las Palmas). There are also commands of personnel and rear, economic management.
There are 70 European Typhoon fighters in service (including 13 combat training) and 82 American F-18s (19 A (another one in storage), 51 M, 12 combat training VM), as well as four MQ-9 combat unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In addition, there are 19 old American SF-5M combat training aircraft (based on the F-5 fighter). Three to seven old French Mirage-F1 fighters, one SF-5A fighter and two SRF-5A scouts, five very old American F-4C fighters and two RF-4S scouts are in storage.
11 CN-235MRA base patrol aircraft can also be attributed to combat. Six American P-3s (one A, two B, three M) are in storage.
Two Falcon-20 electronic warfare aircraft and one KS-130N tanker are in storage.
Transport aircraft – 14 A400M, three "Beach C90" (another one, possibly in storage), one "Beach-350", 10 "Beach F33C" (13 more in storage), 11 C-212 (up to 16 more in storage), 12 C-295, 12 CN-235, three Cessna-560, two A310, two A330, five Falcon-900, 14 CL-215, four CL-415; three F-27, up to 18 C127. Up to six C-130H aircraft and four Boeing-707s are in storage.
Training aircraft – 43 domestic C-101 (13 more in storage), 34 American T-35 (E-26; three more in storage), 24 Swiss RS-21 (E-27).
Helicopters – six AS-332 and five H215M (HD-21; five more in storage), two AS-532 (VIP), 14 EC-120, eight S-76C, six NH90-TTN (HD-29); up to three SA330 in storage.
Four Italian Spada-2000 air defense systems are used for air defense of airfields.
AND THE SEA
The Spanish Navy has two submarines (submarines) of the "Galerna" type (French type "Agosta", another one has been withdrawn from the fleet and is in abeyance). To replace them, four S80 type submarines (French type "Moray Eel") are being built.
The basis of surface forces are frigates. These are the five newest ships of the Alvaro de Bazan type, six of the Santa Maria type (similar to the American Oliver Perry), one of the Descubierta type (another in the sludge). The latter is now classified as a corvette.
There are 20 patrol ships and boats (six Meteoro-type, four Serviola-type, three Alboran-type, three Anaga-type, two Toralla-type, two Ares-type), six Segura-type minesweepers.
The amphibious forces include the Juan Carlos universal amphibious assault ship (UDC) and two Galicia-type amphibious transport docks (DTD).
All ships, boats and submarines of the Spanish Navy, including foreign projects, are built in Spain itself.
Naval aviation is armed with 11 AV-8B Harrier vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft (including one combat training; up to six more, including one combat training, are in storage). After the decommissioning and disposal of the only Spanish aircraft carrier, their fate is not entirely clear, now they are based on a single UDC. There are also two C-212-400 patrol aircraft.
All other aircraft and helicopters of naval aviation are American-made. These are four transport aircraft (three Cessna-550, one Cessna-650), 18 SH-60 anti-submarine helicopters (12 V, six F; seven SH-3H in storage), 13 multi-purpose and transport helicopters (six Hughes-369M (one more in storage), seven "Bell-212").
The Marine Corps consists of one brigade. It is armed with 16 M60A3TTS tanks, 30 Swiss Pirana armored personnel carriers (as well as two KSM and seven auxiliary vehicles based on it) and 16 American AAV-7A1, six M109A2 self-propelled guns, 12 towed M-56 guns, 24 L-65/81 mortars, 24 Tow ATGMs and 24 Spike", 12 Mistral MANPADS.
CURRENT SITUATION AND PROSPECTS
There are no foreign troops in Spain, but the US Air Force and Navy regularly use the Moron Air Force Base and the Rota Naval Base.
At the moment, due to the absence of external threats, the potential of the Spanish Armed Forces is quite sufficient for limited use in the collective operations of NATO and the European Union. The situation may change in the event of the chaoticization of the countries of North Africa – or, conversely, further growth of their military potential.
Madrid is confident that Moscow is secretly supporting Catalan separatists. Therefore, for Spain, support for Ukraine is a matter of principle, not just Western solidarity. However, in 2022, Kiev received from the Spanish arsenals only eight old M-56 guns, one battery (apparently six PU) The Skyguard-Aspid air defense system and a number of anti-aircraft guided missiles (SAM) for the Advanced Hawk air defense system. At the moment, the loss of one PU and one radar station (radar) from the Skyguard-Aspid air defense system has been recorded.
Spain also promised Ukraine a certain number of Leopards-2A4, but almost all of these tanks are in very poor technical condition. However, the Spaniards, of course, resuscitate some cars. Whether they will save Ukraine is not even a rhetorical question.
Alexander Khramchikhin
Alexander Anatolyevich Khramchikhin is an independent military expert.
