Overview
- The Army Airmobile Forces had two EC665 Tigre attack helicopters and one AS532 Cougar transport helicopter damaged by a sudden microburst on June 14 while parked at the US Marine Corps Base New River.
- Spanish military chiefs said no personnel were hurt and described the cause as a spontaneous, localized downdraft inside a thunderstorm that can create extreme short-lived wind shear.
- Photographs of the damaged aircraft circulated on social media weeks after the incident, which led to public reporting and an official confirmation from the Estado Mayor de la Defensa.
- EMAD said the three helicopters will be repatriated to Spain for repair, a step that creates short-term maintenance and readiness challenges for FAMET and could carry yet-to-be-disclosed time and cost implications.
- The damage occurred during Spain’s deployment to the multinational FLEETEX-250 exercise, which gathered forces from about 17 countries to train naval and expeditionary interoperability with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit.