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| KINGDOM OF SPAIN |

| GOBIERNO IMPERIAL DE ESPAÑA |

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Spanish Air Force continues modernization efforts with helicopter procurement deal with the United States

| While many Spaniards and defense community members alike considered the Spanish military's quick modernization efforts over with the sealing of a $11.2 billion USD deal with France for new fighters and frigates for the air force and navy, their thoughts were once more disrupted with the announcement of a $500 million USD procurement deal with the United States for the purchase of 25 UH60-L Black Hawk utility multipurpose helicopters, 25 AH64-E Apache attack helicopters, and their respective armaments, weaponry, spare parts, and equipment needed to run the new helicopters. The Air Force announced the deal on June 24, surprising many journalists with the sudden procurement. |

| The Air Force stated that the new attack and utility helicopters would support the growing Spanish Armed Forces, following the increase of military personnel from 200,000 troops total to 700,000 troops total, as announced by Madrid earlier in the month. The new procurement will enable Spanish forces more flexibility on the battlefield, allowing them to land small squadrons of troops behind enemy lines, as well as to quickly assault enemy positions with the Apache attack helicopters without having to hold the cost of scrambling a fighter jet. It was also stated that the new helicopters will enable Spanish special forces and regular soldiers to deploy to mountainous and rural areas quickly and more safely, without having to utilize the Air Force's ageing Eurocopter fleet. The new helicopters will not be put to use during the tri-branch military exercises that will take place in early July due to time constraints, but are expected to arrive with the Air Force soon. |

| Although many were certainly surprised by the procurement deal, many were relieved to see the relatively small price tag compared to the massive $11.2 billion deal with the French Republic. Although it will meet resistance in the Cortes Generales, the Spanish military plans to continue her expansion into one of Europe's finest and most powerful militaries considering the country's strategic location at the western end of the Mediterranean Sea. The Spanish government thanks Washington for her continued support for European allies and hopes to work with Paramerica in the near future. |

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