The Ministry of Defense will receive on Tuesday the approval of the Council of Ministers to launch four contracts valued at 472 million euros with the aim of updating the arsenal of missiles and bombs of the Spanish Armed Forces. The contracts include the purchase of AMRAAM, NSM and Brimstone missiles, and guided bombs.
On the one hand, the ministry foresees the acquisition of a batch of 92AIM-120-C7 AMRAAM missiles from the American manufacturer Raytheon for 200 million. Defense argues that “to fulfill the missions entrusted to the Armies and Navy it is necessary to maintain minimum reserve stocks for the fleet of aircraft and weapons systems that make use of this missile.”
Of the total, 35 units would be for the Air and Space Army, specifically, for its F-18 and Eurofighter combat aircraft; another 35, for the Army with the Nasams anti-aircraft system that uses this missile; and the remaining 18 for the Navy’s Harrier AV8B fighter-bombers.
The second contract, endowed with 125 million, will allow the purchase of the NSM (Naval Strike Missile) anti-ship missile from the Norwegian company Konsberg Defense & Aerospace (KDA) for the future F-110 frigates and the currentF-100of the Navy. This missile will replace Harpoon veterans in the last third of its service life.
Guided bombs
Finally, another 104 million will go to the purchase of ammunition and precision-guided weapons (PGMs) for an estimated value of 104.4 million euros. The tactical surface attack capability of the Air Force and Space is currently covered by guided munitions modelsGBU-48, GBU-24, GBU-16, GBU-12 or GBU-10.