The 57th contingent of the Orion Tactical Air Detachment ensures the mission's operational capabilities during the monsoon season

 Spanish aircrew carry out adjustments and maintenance tasks on Aircraft Ground Support Equipment

The 57th Tactical Air Detachment (TAD) Orion, deployed as part of Operation EUNAVFOR Atalanta, is responsible for the maintenance of ground support equipment and for improving living areas in order to ensure the operational effectiveness of the mission during the monsoon period, when the D4 aircraft is based in Spain.

Among other measures, new cooling equipment and awnings are being installed to combat the high temperatures reached during the intermonsoon period and to condition the different areas.

Additionally, military personnel specialized in Aircraft Ground Support Equipment (AGSE) belonging to Wing 11 and to the Seville Air Logistics Centre of the Spanish Air and Space Force have travelled from Spain to join the Orion team. Together they are carrying out various technical maintenance tasks in support of the operational readiness of the D.4 VIGMA Maritime Surveillance Aircraft.

During their inspections, technical staff optimised the condition of the equipment, ensuring maximum performance and availability. Among the most important tasks were those carried out on the air conditioning systems, which enable the avionics systems on board the D.4 to function correctly.

Ground work during the monsoon months is essential to ensure the safety, effectiveness and continuity of air operations in the deployment area, in order to safeguard the full and immediate operational readiness of the D.4 aircraft upon its arrival in Djibouti to reinforce the efficiency of Atalanta in protecting maritime traffic and combating piracy in the waters of the Horn of Africa.

Spanish pilots, under the command of Major Alberto Romeralo De la Cruz, have significantly increased their institutional commitments and other actions aimed at strengthening and consolidating relations with countries maintaining a military presence in this strategic African enclave.

Operation Atalanta

Operation Atalanta was the result of a series of UN resolutions adopted from 2005 onwards in response to an increase in piracy in the Indian Ocean. With Spain's strong support, it became the first EU naval operation conducted under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

In late 2024, the European Council approved an extension to the operation's mandate until 28 February 2027, in recognition of the progress made and the challenges that lie ahead. The area of operations has expanded in successive mandates throughout this time and now includes the Gulf of Aden and neighbouring countries such as Oman (including the port and city of Muscat), the Somali Basin, the Red Sea and the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba.

In addition to the TAD Orion, Spain currently contributes to Operation Atalanta with an estimated 350 military personnel and the following main resources: the frigate Victoria, which carries a helicopter and a Special Operations team on board, as well as the Operation Headquarters (OHQ) at the Rota Naval Base.