Spain's armed forces: military modernization meets political controversy

Spain's armed forces: between the Rhinos drone and the shadow of the floods

While Spain's defense industry unveils a 6x6 amphibious-capable ground drone and a fabric that reduces thermal detection to zero, the Military Emergency Unit (UME) lands in Venezuela to rescue survivors trapped under rubble. The paradox of the moment: cutting-edge technological capability, yet the memory of the Valencia floods remains an open wound.

The tech arm takes firm steps

The company Miriad has begun manufacturing the Rhinos, a large uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) with an amphibious version, whose prototype will be ready by the end of the year. In parallel, Hispano Vema is developing a military stealth fabric that blocks infrared and thermal detection, a project already attracting interest from several NATO countries.

International presence and a changing of the guard in the Canary Islands

The Spanish Air and Space Force will deploy two Eurofighters, two F-18s and an A330 tanker at the air show marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, on July 4 in New York. Meanwhile, in the Canary Islands, Gando Air Base has officially confirmed the F-18's replacement by the Eurofighter Typhoon as its new interceptor, at a ceremony presided over by Air Force Chief of Staff Francisco Braco Carbó.

The UME under strain and the political response

The UME managed to rescue a man alive from the rubble in Venezuela, a flawless image that contrasts with perceptions of slow response in domestic emergencies. While soldiers risk their lives on foreign missions, internal criticism points out that the political decision not to deploy the UME during the Valencia floods left French firefighters as first responders. To what extent can technological modernization offset operational paralysis at home? The question remains unanswered.