On 21st February 2025, Margarita Robles, the Spanish Minister of Defence, visited Academia General del Aire y del Espacio (the General Academy of the Air and Space Force) in San Javier. The local air force base is a home for the Spanish national jet team, Patrulla Águila, and the ministerial visit was related to the future of the aerobatic unit.
Margarita Robles was hosted by the director of the Academy, Colonel Luis Felipe González. The programme of the visit included a tour through the Patrulla Águila museum and meeting with the Spanish media.
The Spanish MoD emphasised that Patrulla Águila has managed, in a more special way, to connect with Spanish society which does not conceive a celebration or a commemoration without its presence. Robles also pointed the experience, discipline and professionalism of the team pilots.
14th June of 2025 means exactly the 40th anniversary of the first public display of the team, which was performed in Jerez de la Frontera.
Patrulla Águila (English: Eagle Patrol) was formed in 1985, as already the fifth Spanish military aerobatic group. Its predecessors were Basic Air School of Matacán Patrol (flying with six T-6 Texan aeroplanes), Jet Training Air School Patrol (T-33 Shooting Star), Patrulla Ascua (F-86 Sabre) and Los Llanos Air Base Patrol (Mirage F-1).
For four decades, Patrulla Águila was a pillar of the Spanish Air Force (since 2022 known as the Spanish Air and Space Force – Ejército del Aire y del Espacio) promotional activities. According to the official press release of the country´s Ministry of Defence, the team performed more than five hundred displays (with over 170 of them shown abroad) and accumulated approximately 30,000 flight hours.
Among the team´s highlight displays there were opening of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, celebrations at the Universal Exhibition of Seville – Expo ’92 and opening of the Volvo Ocean Race in 2005.
Since its founding, Patrulla Águila operates CASA C-101 Aviojet, the domestically developed training and light-attack jet aircraft. The aeroplane performed its maiden flight on 27th June 1977 and was officially introduced into service with the Spanish Air Force in 1980.
Although Spain remained the primary user of the C-101, with eighty-eight examples of the aircraft ordered, the Aviojet was also sold to Chile (in both training and attack variants), Honduras and Jordania.
However, in the early 2010s, the Spanish military authorities commenced the C-101 retirement process. At the beginning, the goal was set to withdraw the Aviojet from active service until 2020 but that term was later extended with five more years.
Initially, the aircraft had to be replaced by Airbus Future Jet Trainer (AFJT), developed by the Airbus Spain. It was also considered as the new Patrulla Águila display jet but in 2022 the project was finally rejected by the Spanish MoD, due to financial reasons. Therefore, Pilatus PC-21 turboprop advanced trainer was chosen as the future training aircraft of the Spanish Air Force.
At first, cease of Patrulla Águila activities was considered. In 2021, the Spanish military authorities mentioned that the C-101 would be soon retired and it would also mean the end of the national display team. As explained at that time, one of the ideas behind Patrulla Águila existence was to promote the Spanish-made jet aircraft and because there would be no domestic aeroplane to replace the Aviojet, there was no reason to continue with the team´s activities.
Fortunately, it seems that this decision was definitely changed and Patrulla Águila is going to continue its story – although based on completely different concept.
During the ministerial visit in San Javier, the team commander (Jefe Patrulla Águila) José Javier Sánchez Martín confirmed that Patrulla Águila is going to continue its activities and fly with the PC-21 training aircraft.
Members of the Spanish media gathered at the air base were informed that the 40th anniversary of Patrulla Águila would be celebrated with an air show organised in San Javier. The event, named Aire 05 Festival, is planned for 14th and 15th June 2025.
During the first day, an open doors event is going to be held at the base, with static exhibition of aircraft. On the second day, flying displays will be performed. The list of participants – apart from Patrulla Águila and other display teams of the Spanish Air Forces – includes the most-known European jet teams, such as the Red Arrows, Patrouille de Suisse, Patrouille de France and Frecce Tricolori, as well as maybe also the Turkish Stars.
Then, after the final display performed in San Javier during the anniversary celebrations, Patrulla Águila is going to retire the C-101. In July and August, the team should receive the PC-21 aeroplanes and its pilots are expected to begin with training flights to master the new aircraft.
According to Sánchez, the team will start with five aircraft formation display. However, there is a possibility that some more would be added in the future.
Therefore, Patrulla Águila will become the first European national aerobatic team to close its jet display record book. Moreover, the Spanish team may soon be followed by other groups, such as Patrouille de Suisse or Patrouille de France (for more information about the future of European military display teams please follow our article from February of 2024 – Nothing lasts forever – a cloudy future of European military display teams).
All photos © Iñaki Gómez/MDE, Ministerio de Defensa, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. Information from the Spanish Ministry of Defence press releases were used, based on the CC BY-SA licence.
