Spanish Air Force S-76C helicopters to be assigned to SAR duties

The Ejército del Aire y del Espacio (EdAE, Spanish Air and Space Force) will assign its Sikorsky S-76C medium-size utility helicopters to Mallorca for Search And Rescue (SAR) missions. Currently operated by Ala 78 / 781 Escadrón at Granada/Armilla Air Base for helicopter pilot training, this task will now be taken over by the new Airbus H135M twin-engine light utility helicopter, the first of which was delivered in June 2023.

Consequently, the EdAE has decided to relocate the S-76C helicopters, with sufficient remaining flight hours, to Ala 49 / 801 Escuadrón at Mallorca/Son San Juan Air Base. The exact number of S-76Cs to be transferred has not been decided yet.

The first S-76s were delivered to Armilla in November 1991. These helicopters have served three decades at the Air Force helicopter school and accumulated more than 650,000 flight hours.

Credit photo: Peter Heeneman (Scramble Archive)