ROTA NAVAL BASE, Spain — The Spanish navy has detailed plans for a second batch of NH90 helicopters that will likely see the future aircraft tailored to a modern special forces design, complete with a new French electro-optical targeting system and a range of other modern modifications, a commander for the service told Breaking Defense.
“Six more [aircraft] are coming, so there will be another evolution of the Standard 3 MSPT [Maritime Spanish Tactical Transport Helicopter],” Javier Moreno, commander of the Spanish navy’s 14th Squadron, said during a trade media briefing at Rota Naval Base in Cadiz, Spain, Tuesday. Like other media outlets, Breaking Defense accepted travel and accommodation for the trip.
“New improvements will be put … in that new aircraft,” he added, mirroring systems included in the NH90 French special forces Standard 2 variant. Moreno said he flew in the Standard 2 variant of the aircraft a matter of weeks ago in collaboration with the French service.
“They show[ed] us all the new equipment,” he added, ranging from France’s Safran-produced Euroflir 410 electro-optical targeting system, to a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) comprising six to seven cameras designed for “360 degrees situational awareness.”
Airbus initially launched NH90 Standard 2 flight testing in 2024, in support of an acquisition from Paris for 18 aircraft.
The envisioned Spanish order has not yet been formally contracted with NH90 manufacturer NHIndustries — a joint endeavor by Airbus, Leonardo and GKN Fokker — but a budget for the acquisition has been approved by Spain’s Council of Ministers.
Even so, Moreno said that the additional aircraft are “planned” to arrive between 2030 and 2032.
The second batch builds off an initial acquisition of seven Standard 3 MSPT units, contracted in 2018, included within Spain’s larger order of 23 NH90 rotorcraft.
Deliveries from the first MSPT batch are due to be completed in 2026, with Moreno outlining that their main mission set covers amphibious operations, search and rescue, and medical evacuation, among other tasks.
Additionally, he stated that initial operating capability is planned for December 2026, consistent with a series of seven key milestones mapped out to help reach the target — such as an experimental air unit deployment and onboard/ship-based activities, with the latter due to start in March 2026.
The exact vessel that will support the initial ship-based tasks has yet to be determined, said Moreno, but generally, once in service, the MSPT fleet is expected to deploy from a number of surface vessels like the Strategic Protection Ship Juan Carlos I and Santa María-class frigates.