Airbus Leads a 30 Aircraft Training Program for Spain
A consortium led by Airbus unveiled on Tuesday the industrial program for the new Integrated Combat Training System (ITS-C) of the Spanish Air and Space Force. This program, which was awarded in December 2025, will replace the current F-5 aircraft fleet with 60% participation from the national industry.
A Co-development Program with Turkish Aerospace
The ITS-C program is based on a co-development agreement between Airbus, the project leader, and Turkish Aerospace, the manufacturer of the HÜRJET training aircraft. The arrangement covers the entire process of advanced training for Spanish fighter pilots, from customizing a fleet of 30 aircraft, nationally named SAETA II, to providing an integrated suite of operational and maintenance services. Airbus will also redesign the Training Center at the Fighter and Bombing School at Talavera la Real Air Base in Extremadura, which will include next-generation simulators developed in collaboration with Indra, and will provide logistical support for the operation and maintenance of the aircraft and synthetic training systems.
A Two-Phase Schedule from 2028 to 2035
The initial phase, starting in 2028, involves the delivery of an initial batch of 21 aircraft. One of these will serve as a prototype for Airbus to integrate next-generation avionics and mission equipment. Concurrently, the development and manufacturing of a ground training system are scheduled to commence service during the 2029-2030 academic year. In the second phase, these 21 aircraft, along with the remaining nine from the order, will undergo conversion to Spanish standards, accompanied by an update of the simulators. Deliveries of the Spanish variant SAETA II and its ground training system will be staggered between 2031 and 2035. The national industry, led by Airbus, will independently handle the maintenance, updating, and evolution of this fleet. Beyond manufacturing primary parts, electrical wiring, and designing and building the conversion center, the Spanish industry will be responsible for integrating key technologies for avionics and mission systems: GMV (inertial/GPS and mission computer), Sener (DataLink), Aertec (remote interface unit), Grupo Oesía (audio management), Orbital (mission recorder VMDR), and Indra (friend-foe identification system).
