The Air and Space Force sent two planes to Lebanon this Thursday to evacuate to the approximately 380 Spaniards who asked to leave the country with the escalation of the conflict with Israel. The first of them left the Zaragoza air base at 6 a.m. About three hours later, he landed in Beirut.
This plane, an A330, can carry up to 288 passengers. Later, another second plane will also arrive, accommodating around 116 people. According to Defense Minister Margarita Robles, in an interview with Telecinco cited by Servimedia, if this is not enough, another plane will be sent to help with the evacuations.
Teams from the Air Deployment Support Squadron (EADA) are participating in this mission. Composed of around 300 membersbetween staff and troop personnel, and based at the Zaragoza air base, will be 30 years old in 2024. At the helm of this entity is a lieutenant-colonel. Organically, it depends on General Air Command (MAGEN), while operationally, it depends on Combat Air Command (MACOM).
The EADA, one of three parachute units, is responsible for “supporting the defense, deployment and maintenance” of the operating conditions of air units, reports the Air and Space Force. Among his abilities there is force protection, support for military air transport or even the preparation and preparation of launchable charges of all types.
Thus, she participated in “a wide range” of cases in different parts of the world – “the majority” of those that required the deployment of Air and Space Force assets outside of the Spain, reports the “Spanish Defense Review”. . In them, performed various functionssuch as humanitarian aid, escort or evacuation of citizens. This last part includes the repatriation of 2,206 people three years ago to Afghanistan, after the country was in the hands of the Taliban. There, he assumed the functions of identifying people, as well as checking them in and boarding planes.
In the same spirit, it also carried out evacuations in Lebanon, Libya and Zaire, as well as on the island of Saint-Martin, affected by Hurricane Irma.
In Afghanistan, precisely, EADA operated without interruption for over thirteen years. Furthermore, the unit is part of the NRF (NATO Response Forces) and participates in various operations also with the allied armed forces within the framework of the UN and the EU.
But the role of this army unit, whose motto is “Obviam primus” [los primeros en llegar] He has also distinguished himself in peacekeeping or humanitarian aid operations, as during the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, in 2020, it helped transport the respirators that hospitals needed or deployed teams to Aragon with which it helped carry out disinfections, while providing trackers.
Among its general capabilities are aircraft tie-down, facility security, and aircraft handling.
The origin of the EADA dates back to January 1994, with the creation of the Transport Support Squadron, which appeared after the dissolution of the Military Air Transport Support Squadron. Among the missions which it has carried out since its creation, also highlighting in the Baltic countries, air policing at Siauliai airport or support for aircraft carrying out security, force protection and SATRA tasks. For its part, in Africa and the Middle East, it carries out cooperative security missions in Mauritania, Cape Verde and Senegal.
Since its creation, its members were distinguished with decorations such as the Cross of Aeronautical Merit, among others.
