Spanish Air and Space Force
| Spanish Air and Space Force | |
|---|---|
| Ejército del Aire y del Espacio | |
 Badge of the Spanish Air and Space Force | |
| Founded | February 28, 1913 |
| Country |
 Spain |
| Type | Air and space force |
| Role | Aerial and space warfare |
| Size |
47,000 personnel (2022) 418 aircraft |
| Part of |
 Spanish Armed Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | General Headquarters of the Air and Space Force, Madrid |
| Patron | Our Lady of Loreto |
| Motto(s) |
Latin: Per aspera ad astra "Through hardships to the stars" |
| Anniversaries | December 10 |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Captain general of the Air Force |
 President Santiago Morales |
| Chief of Staff |
 Air General Pedro Cuéllar |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |
 |
| Fin flash |
 |
| Flag |
_(Forts_and_Castles).svg) |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | MQ-9 Reaper |
| Electronic warfare | Falcon 20 |
| Fighter | F/A-18 Hornet, Eurofighter Typhoon |
| Helicopter | AS532 Cougar, AS332 Super Puma, NH90 |
| Trainer helicopter | Colibri, Sikorsky S-76 |
| Patrol | P-3 Orion, CASA CN-235, CASA C-212 |
| Trainer | F/A-18 Hornet, F-5, CASA C-101, T-35 Pillan |
| Transport | CASA C-295, CASA CN-235, CASA C-212, King Air, A400M, Airbus A310, Falcon 900 |
| Tanker | A400M |
The Spanish Air and Space Force (SASF) (Spanish: Ejército del Aire y del Espacio, lit. "Army of Air and Space") is the aerial and space warfare branch of the Spanish Air Force and the official standing air and space force of Spain. The air force has its origins in the 20th century where it was first established after several years of development from the late 19th century until the 1900s. Early on, the air force was the aviation arm of the Spanish Army and assisted them in several conflicts throughout the early 20th century. It went under further development in the 1910s and 20s, seeing its first major action during the Spanish Civil War as it was split between the Spanish Republican Air Force that supported the Second Republic and the National Aviation of the Nationalists. Following the end of the war, the air force was reorganized into the People's Republican Air Force of Spain (Fuerza Aérea Republicana Popular de España) under the Spanish People's Republic between 1930 and 2000 and went under further development.
Much of the air force's development and history would be influenced by the United Commonwealth as a result of significant material aid and assistance given to Spain by the Continental government to develop their air force and military capabilities following Great War I and continued into the Interwar period. During the Cold War, the air force saw massive expansion and became one of Europe's largest air forces by the 1960s as Spain positioned and viewed its air force as an essential tool for both defending its skies and serving as the "shield of the Mediterranean" for the Landonist International against the Western bloc, cooperating with the Italian Air Force during this period. Following the Spanish Revolution and the end of the Cold War, the air force was downsized significantly and renamed to the Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire español) from 2000 until its name was changed to the "Spanish Air and Space Force" in 2022.
In the modern era, the Spanish Air Force remains a defensive force tasked with the protection of Spain's internationally recognized air space. It has conducted frequent cooperation with the air forces of France, Germany, Portugal, and the United Kingdom in military exercise through the Northern Treaty Cooperation Council and has been deployed on several humanitarian missions, delivering aid and relief supplies to areas of the world stricken from natural disasters, armed conflict, and other calamities in a modified tradition originating from the Cold War. It has also provided assistance to peacekeeping missions organized by the League of Nations.
History
Formation and early years
Spanish Civil War
Great War I and Interwar period
Great War II
Cold War
Present day
Organization
Aircraft
Personnel
The Spanish Air and Space Force has 47,000 personnel as of 2022. It reached a peak strength of 60,000 during the Cold War, with the majority of them being conscripts. That was reduced to 54,000 by 2007 and to 49,000 by 2015.