The Spanish Army Aviation’s BHELMA III unit has flown the NH90 HT-29 on its first maximum-range missions with two external 500-litre fuel tanks, completing the sorties on 8 and 9 September from the Héroes del Revellín base in Agoncillo, near Logroño. The flights tested the helicopter’s extended endurance on a route that covered Spain’s Atlantic, Cantabrian and Mediterranean coasts, with a refuelling stop at El Copero in Seville before returning to base.
The configuration is reported to add at least two hours of endurance, taking direct flight time to around six hours. That increase expands the helicopter’s range for troop movement, mission planning and deployment support, including the possibility of direct flights from mainland Spain to the Canary Islands without an intermediate stop. The sorties formed part of the unit’s training plan and were used to assess what the extra fuel capacity can deliver in operational terms rather than as a one-off demonstration.