“We are not at war, but we are also at peace.” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has been paraphrased by General Francisco Braco, head of the Air and Space Forces, to explain how he faces the near future: to strive to continuously improve his capabilities to anticipate any scenario. One of the areas from which the current struggle for global hegemony stems, he explained this in a meeting with journalists and General Bracco, and this is the area that was added in 2022 as a combination of the traditional name of the Air Force. This area, which a few years ago “was seen as common ground,” i.e. the scope of cooperation or maximum competition between powers, has become a potential battlefield. The Air Force Commander warned: “Space is armed. There are currently weapons in space and we have to deal with this situation.” He explained that there is no evidence of the existence of missile launchers in outer space, but there is a threat from satellites and suicide systems capable of producing electromagnetic disturbances that render communications satellites, geolocation, or enemy surveillance useless.
Therefore, one of the projects that the State Mayor of the Air and Space Forces is working on is the future NEMO, a space police whose mission is to protect the Spanish infrastructure in outer space from any possible aggression. In addition to this, other programs such as RORCOBE (Robot Observatory Network), the acquisition of a new space tracking radar and a space orbit mechanics simulator, all linked to the Future European Space Shield initiative, have already been added.
In March 2023, Spain, like other countries, launched the Space Command, whose Space Observation Operations Center (COVE) is responsible for monitoring and cataloging space objects, to predict their probability of re-entering the atmosphere, and to carry out space meteorological observations, as well as the deterioration of satellite navigation services, due to natural phenomena or not. Its capabilities, according to General Braco, have seen a “quantum leap” with the modernization of the S3TSR space surveillance radar, installed at the Moron de la Frontera base (Seville), and the reception of the new Space Situation Control and Intelligence System (CCSE).
The plans of the Air and Space Forces also include the adaptation of so-called deployment bases (Santiago, León, Salamanca, Valladolid, Granada, Málaga, Talavera la Real, Son Sant Joan, Tenerife and Lanzarote), where the Air Forces will be dispersed in the event of a crisis, through the installation of arsenals to provide ready-made weapons and ammunition, such as those being built in Mallorca. Regarding aircraft, it is expected that in 2026 the first three Eurofighter aircraft will be received, to replace the old F-18 fighters from the Gando base (Las Palmas), which will end their operational life, in addition to the first three C295 maritime patrol aircraft; The fleet of A400M transport aircraft has increased from 14 to 17, although it is awaiting the sale of 10 more units to a third country that Spain has committed to purchasing from Airbus.
The head of the Air and Space Forces showed his conviction that the FCAS program will overcome its current crisis – caused by the confrontation between industries in France and Germany – and an agreement will be reached before the end of the year to start a new phase.
Operationally, Spain was declared to be holding the ground, although it had increased its commitment to defending NATO’s eastern flank, with the current Lithuanian Air Force detachment consisting of 11 F-18 fighters, instead of the previous eight Eurofighters, as well as an A400M tanker aircraft. Permanence and other time-related matters. Part of the detachment from Lithuania will participate in the mission East of Centinela, to launch into the NATO march after the massive entry of Russian drones into Poland last September, which is why sending Spanish fighters to a Polish base was finally ruled out, as initially planned. Furthermore, Spanish Eurofighters will return to Australia next year in a joint effort with the German Air Force, while ASPA, the helicopter aerobatic unit, will visit Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina to mark the centenary of the remarkable flights, which began on 22 January with the Plus Ultra.