The AB-212 'Gato' helicopters of the Spanish Navy seen up close and in great detail

@DefAviation ES 7·15·2024 · 23:33 0

A few days ago the aircraft carrier "Juan Carlos I" of the Spanish Navy made a visit to Vigo upon its return from a large deployment.

Members of the 3rd Squadron of the Spanish Navy show their AB-212 helicopters
Images of the hangars of the Spanish LHD 'Juan Carlos I' L-61 at maximum capacity

In the ship's hangar there were three Agusta-Bell AB-212 helicopters from the 3rd Squadron, known as "Gatos" in the Navy due to the radio callsign of that unit. He had never had the opportunity to photograph these helicopters so closely and in such detail. These helicopters will be retired from service on July 31, so this was my last opportunity to see them in active service with the Navy, as they will be transferred to the Army's Maneuver Helicopter Battalion VI (BHELMA VI) of the Spanish Army.

The 3rd Squadron personnel were kind enough to turn on the cockpit panels and open the engine, so they were able to capture a magnificent series of photos of these helicopters. I thank the personnel of the 3rd Squadron for this opportunity and their kindness. I hope these photos are especially useful for modeling fans.

The AB-212 of the Navy arrived in Spain between 1974 and 1980. Of the 14 helicopters acquired, only 7 remain active today, operating from the Rota Naval Base (Cádiz). They will be replaced by seven Airbus NH90 MSPT, tactical transport, which will be delivered between 2025 and 2026.

Here we can see the two AB-212s that were parked on the port side of the hangar.

The same helicopters, seen from the back.

The main rotor. It has two blades and is very similar to the first helicopter in this long saga, the Bell 204.

The tail rotor. Not all of them were painted the same way.

An even more enlarged detail of the tail rotor of another of the AB-212s, this one with black blades.

The "Gatos" had their stabilizers covered with cardboard protections, probably to prevent damage to maintenance personnel, since the back of the stabilizers is sharp.

Like the rest of the Navy's aircraft, these helicopters are painted with a low-visibility scheme. The only exception to this scheme is the Spanish cockade.

The rescue crane of one of the AB-212.

The remote control used to operate the rescue crane.

The passenger compartment of one of the AB-212s, this one with a configuration prepared to carry weapons.

Another image of the passenger compartment.

Detail of the machine gun mount next to the port door. These helicopters can be armed with MG-1 or GAU-17 Minigun machine guns, both of 7.62 x 51 mm NATO caliber.

The rear compartment of another of the AB-212s. This one had less space. A part of the compartment was occupied by rescue material.

Detail of the tail of one of the AB-212.

An image of the skid that the AB-212 have on the tail. This skid prevents possible contact with the flight deck from causing damage to the fuselage or tail rotor.

The starboard float of one of the AB-212s.

The gas cylinder used to inflate the floats.

An AB-212 connected to an auxiliary generator.

The interior of the cabin, with the panels on. In its recent modernization process, the old analog instruments of the AB-212 were replaced by multifunction digital displays.

The detail of one of the screens. To the right we see the artificial horizon.

The engine section. The AB-212 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T-3 turboshaft engines. Naval helicopters are usually twin-engine to always have an engine in case one of them breaks down.

The open engine panels of another of the AB-212s.

The starboard engine section of an AB-212 seen in more detail.

The helicopter's radar housing, located above the cockpit. On the right we see the upper cable cutter.

In the lower part of the cockpit these AB-212s have a FLIR scope. We see it here in black.

The port seat collective lever of an AB-212.

This last photo is not of an AB-212 but is related to them. These are the EINSA tractors used to move these helicopters on Spanish Navy ships.

I finish with this image of the patch that the 3rd Squadron made to commemorate its farewell, since this unit will be disbanded once the AB-212 are discharged from the Navy. There have been 60 years of service to Spain. As they say in the Navy, BRAVO ZULU!

I have uploaded 74 photos from this series to my Flickr account . You can see them here: