Spain places largest-ever helicopter order with Airbus under national modernisation plan
December 18, 2025
Spain’s Ministry of Defence has placed an order for 100 Airbus helicopters, marking the largest rotary-wing procurement ever managed by the Directorate General for Armament and Material (DGAM) and a major step in the country’s long-term military aviation modernisation.
The four contracts, announced in Albacete, form part of Spain’s National Helicopter Plan, unveiled earlier this year to streamline fleet renewal across the armed forces while strengthening domestic industrial capabilities.
The order spans four helicopter types and all three services, underlining Madrid’s intent to modernise training, utility, combat support and tactical transport roles in parallel.
Spain’s Airbus helicopter order breakdown: H135, H145M, H175M and NH90
The procurement package covers a broad mix of missions:
- 13 H135 helicopters, with 12 allocated to the Air and Space Force and one to the Navy, for advanced pilot training, light utility and observation missions.
- 50 H145M helicopters for the Army’s FAMET aviation branch, covering training, light attack missions using the HForce system, utility tasks and disaster relief.
- 6 H175M helicopters for the Air and Space Force, replacing ageing assets in Wing 48 and supporting governmental and authority transport missions.
- 31 NH90 helicopters, split between the Army, Air and Space Force and Navy, for tactical transport, manoeuvre, special operations and amphibious warfare support.
Particularly notable is Spain’s order for the H175M, the newest addition to the Airbus military helicopters lineup.
The aircraft are intended to replace ageing AS332 Super Puma and AS532 Cougar helicopters operated by the Spanish Air and Space Force’s Wing 48. Their inclusion makes Spain the first military customer for the H175M, marking a significant milestone for the programme as it moves into operational service within a NATO air force.
By concentrating procurement around Airbus platforms, Spain is aiming to reduce fleet fragmentation while improving long-term supportability and training efficiency.
Airbus expands Albacete footprint as Spain ramps up helicopter production
Beyond fleet renewal, the order carries significant industrial implications. Airbus expects the programme to support more than 300 highly skilled direct jobs over the next three years at its Albacete site.
Planned investments include a new military helicopter customisation centre and an international training hub for H145M pilots and technicians. These additions will complement existing work on the Tiger mid-life upgrade and deepen Albacete’s role within Airbus Helicopters’ global network.
Airbus also intends to develop the site as a centre of expertise for digital and cyber capabilities, supporting software development, connectivity, support engineering and maintenance for Spain’s military helicopter fleet.
Spain’s helicopter order sits within a €3.7bn Airbus-led defence overhaul
The helicopter contracts form part of a much broader, state-backed defence modernisation programme that positions Airbus as Spain’s central industrial partner across both rotary- and fixed-wing fleets.
Under Royal Decree 848/2025, published in September, Madrid approved €3.68bn ($4.3bn) in direct loans to Airbus Defence and Space and Airbus Helicopters Spain to deliver six major aerospace and defence programmes between 2025 and 2030. The funding is tied explicitly to Spain’s Industrial and Technological Plan for Security and Defence, which prioritises military modernisation, industrial sovereignty and domestic job creation.
Of those six programmes, four focus on helicopters, underlining how central rotary-wing capability has become to Spain’s force structure. Alongside the latest order, the decree includes funding for 32 additional NH90s, expansion of the H135 training fleet, acquisition of the H175M as a new multi-mission platform, and development of the HELIPO light multipurpose helicopter programme, widely expected to be based on the H145M.
Crucially, the decree mandates that assembly, training, maintenance and MRO activities be carried out domestically, reinforcing Albacete’s role as a national centre for helicopter customisation and sustainment. The result is not a series of isolated purchases, but a coordinated reset of Spain’s helicopter fleet, tightly coupled to long-term industrial investment.
