Spanish Air Force Order of Battle

Location of Air Bases in Spain

The order of battle of the Spanish Air Force are the separate parts or sections of the air arm as a whole, divided in order to improve military coordination. The Air Force is under the command of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General José Jiménez Ruiz, and is structured in:

General Headquarters (Cuartel General)
Air Force (Fuerza Aérea)
Air Force Support (Apoyo a la Fuerza)^[1]

Historical background

The present-day command structure of the Spanish Air Force issued from a Government decree dated 2d October 1935 of the Spanish Republican Government that placed the Dirección General de Aeronáutica under the authority of a specific ministry, known then as the War Ministry, Ministerio de la Guerra, instead of being under the Presidencia del Gobierno. Following that decree, the Air Force regional units became restructured in 1936. Accordingly, the Spanish Navy-based Escuadra model was replaced by Región Militar divisions which are still operative today.^[2] Nowadays the Spanish Air Force is still under a separate ministry, the Ministerio de Defensa.

After the Spanish Civil War the bulk of the Spanish Armed Forces changes were introduced within the regional structure, following which all relevant air bases would be withdrawn from Catalonia, a former key region in the development of the Aeronáutica Militar, the Spanish Air Force in its early days. Even though before and during the Civil War important air bases had been established in or around Barcelona, like the Aviación Naval, henceforward the whole northeastern area of Spain would be left with mere token presence of the Spanish Air Force. The situation is similar in the Basque Country as well, with the difference that there had not been any important air bases there before the conflict that shaped the present structure. While Galicia has no significant Air Force Base within its territory, it has nevertheless a very important Naval Base at Ferrol.^[3]

The Air Regions and their Command centres after the changes introduced during the Spanish State dictatorship became the following:

MACEN

Mando Aéreo del Centro Madrid

Madrid-Torrejón Air Base (LETO) Rwy 05/23 40° 29' 12.502N 3° 27' 29.902W Elev: 1994 ft.
Ala/Grupo (Wing/Group)	Escuadrón (Squadron)	Aircraft Type	Codes
Ala12/Gr.12	121 Esc. 122 Esc.	F/A-18 Hornet F/A-18 Hornet	12-01 12-70
Grupo 43	431 Esc. 432 Esc.	Canadair CL-215 Canadair CL-215	43-01 43-01
Grupo 45	451 Esc. 452 Esc.	Airbus A310 Dassault Falcon 900	45-50 45-40
Grupo Mixto 47	471 Esc. 472 Esc.	Boeing 707 Transport Boeing 707 Tanker CASA C.212 Aviocar Dassault Falcon 20	47-01 47-02 47-11 47-21
CLAEX/Grupo 54	541 Esc.	CASA C.212 Aviocar CASA C-101	54-11 54-20
Centro de Inteligencia Aérea	408 Esc.	CASA C.212 Aviocar Dassault Falcon 20 Boeing 707 Transport	408-01 408-11 408-21

Madrid-Getafe Air Base (LEGT) Rwy 05/23 40° 17' 38.900N 3° 43' 25.799W Elev: 2029 ft.
Ala/Grupo (Wing/Group)	Escuadrón (Squadron)	Aircraft Type	Codes
Ala 35	351 Esc. 352 Esc. 353 Esc.	CASA CN-235 CASA CN-235 CASA C-295	35-21 35-60 35-40
Grupo 42	421 Esc. 422 Esc.	No aircraft assigned Beechcraft Bonanza Beechcraft Bonanza	- 42-01 42-30

Madrid-Cuatro Vientos Air Base (LECU) Rwy 10R/28L, 10L/28R 40° 22' 14.200 N 3° 47' 6.518 W Elev: 3.322 ft.
Ala/Grupo (Wing/Group)	Escuadrón (Squadron)	Aircraft Type	Codes
Ala 48	402 Esc. 803 Esc.	Aérospatiale Puma Eurocopter Cougar CASA C.212 Aviocar Aérospatiale Puma	402-10 402-24 803-..
Centro Cartográfico y Fotográfico	403 Esc.	CASA C.212 Aviocar Cessna Citation V	403-01 403-11

Salamanca-Matacán Air Base (LESA) Rwy 03/21, 07/25 40° 57' 7.621N 5° 30' 7.150W Elev: 2595 ft.
Ala/Grupo (Wing/Group)	Escuadrón (Squadron)	Aircraft Type	Codes
Grupo de Escuelas de Matacán	741 Esc. 744 Esc.	CASA C-101 CASA C.212 Aviocar	74-01 74-70

Valladolid-Villanubla Air Base (LEVD) Rwy 05/23, 15/33 41° 42' 21.600 N 4° 51' 6.700 W Elev: 2787 ft.
Ala/Grupo (Wing/Group)	Escuadrón (Squadron)	Aircraft Type	Codes
Ala 37	371 Esc. 372 Esc.	CASA C.212 Aviocar CASA C.212 Aviocar	37-01 37-60

MAEST

Mando Aéreo del Estrecho

Albacete-Los Llanos Air Base (LEAB) Rwy 07/25, 15/33 38° 56' 55.000N 1° 51' 49.000 W Elev: 2303 ft.
Ala/Grupo (Wing/Group)	Escuadrón (Squadron)	Aircraft Type	Codes
Ala 14	141 Esc. 142 Esc.	Dassault Mirage F1 Eurofighter Typhoon	14-01 -

Seville-Morón Air Base (LEMO) Rwy 02/20 37° 10' 29.701 N 5° 36' 57.398 W Elev: 287 ft.
Ala/Grupo (Wing/Group)	Escuadrón (Squadron)	Aircraft Type	Codes
Ala 11	111 Esc. 113 Esc.	Eurofighter Typhoon Eurofighter Typhoon	- - 11-01
Ala 22	221 Esc.	Lockheed P-3 Orion	22-21

Badajoz - Talavera la Real Air Base (LEBZ) Rwy 13/31 38° 53' 25.001N 6° 49' 17.000W Elev: 607 ft.
Ala/Grupo (Wing/Group)	Escuadrón (Squadron)	Aircraft Type	Codes
Ala 23	231 Esc. 232 Esc.	Northrop F-5 Northrop F-5	23-01 23-01

Murcia-Alcantarilla Air Base (LERI) Rwy 07/25 37° 57' 4.000 N 1° 13' 49.199 W Elev: 244 ft.
Ala/Grupo (Wing/Group)	Escuadrón (Squadron)	Aircraft Type	Codes
	721 Esc.	CASA C.212 Aviocar	72-01
721 Esc. is also known as Escuela Militar de Paracaidismo (EMP) (Paratroop school).

Granada - Armilla Air Base (LEGA) Rwy 18/38 37° 7' 59.599 N 3° 38' 8.498 W Elev: 2250 ft.
Ala/Grupo (Wing/Group)	Escuadrón (Squadron)	Aircraft Type	Codes
Ala 78	781 Esc. 782 Esc.	Sikorsky S-76 EC 120 Colibri	78-01 78-30

Murcia - San Javier Air Base (LELC) Rwy 05/23, 14/32 37° 46' 29.899 N 0° 48' 44.600 W Elev: 11 ft.
Ala/Grupo (Wing/Group)	Escuadrón (Squadron)	Aircraft Type	Codes
Ala 79 AGA	Escuela Elemental (791 Esc.) Escuela Basica (793 Esc.) Escuela Navegación (792 Esc.) Patrulla Aguila (794 Esc.)	T-35C Do 27 CASA C-101 CASA C.212 Aviocar CASA C-101	79-50 79-111 79-01 79-92 79-01

MALEV

Mando Aéreo de Levante Zaragoza

Zaragoza Air Base (LEZG) Rwy 12L/30R, 12R/30L 41° 39' 58.471 N 1° 2' 30.001W Elev: 863 ft.
Ala/Grupo (Wing/Group)	Escuadrón (Squadron)	Aircraft Type	Codes
Ala 15	151 Esc. 152 Esc. 153 Esc.	McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet	15-01 15-01 15-01
Grupo 31	311 Esc. 312 Esc.	Lockheed C-130 Hercules Lockheed C-130 Hercules	31-01 31-50

Mallorca - Son San Juan Air Base (LESJ) Rwy 06L/24R, 06C/24C, 06R/24L 39° 33' 6.030 N 2° 44' 19.709 E Elev: 32 ft.
Ala/Grupo (Wing/Group)	Escuadrón (Squadron)	Aircraft Type	Codes
-	801 Esc.	CASA C.212 Aviocar Aérospatiale Puma

MACAN

Mando Aéreo de Canarias Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Las Palmas - Gando Air Base (LELP) Rwy 03L/21R, 03R/21L 27° 55' 49.001 N 15° 23' 4.999 W Elev: 77 ft.
Ala/Grupo (Wing/Group)	Escuadrón (Squadron)	Aircraft Type	Codes
Ala 46	462 Esc. 802 Esc.	McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet Eurocopter Cougar Fokker F27 Maritime	46-01 - 802-10

References

External links

Home page of the Spanish Air Force (Spanish)
Ministerio de Defensa - Organización (Spanish)

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