Expeditionary Battle Group “Dédalo” has been deployed to Atlantic and Mediterranean waters

• At the start of this joint deployment, the naval group carried out tactical actions with units of the Army and the Air and Space Army, as well as with Portuguese maritime patrol aircraft

The Expeditionary Battle Group “Dédalo” has deployed for the second time in 2025. On this occasion, it is doing so in Atlantic and Mediterranean waters, during the months of June and July, to show Spain's commitment to NATO's Deterrence and Defence Policy, as well as to increase its interoperability with other allied navies.

In this edition of “Dédalo 25”, the naval group is made up of all the units that make up a naval power projection force on land: LHD and LPD amphibious ships, with an embarked Marine infantry force of a reinforced battalion entity, a combat supply ship and an F100 frigate, as well as embarked fixed-wing aviation and helicopters.

During the first days of activation, the ‘Dédalo’ Expeditionary Combat Group carried out different activities with the Spanish Army and the Air and Space Army. It has collaborated with the training of pilots of the Army's AB212 helicopters, from the Bhelma VI Battalion, part of the Canary Islands Command, which they took on the flight deck of the ‘Juan Carlos I’. These helicopters were recently transferred from the Navy to the Spanish Army.

In addition, the Agrupación carried out operational activities with Air and Space Army F-18 aircraft from the 46th Wing based at Gando Air Base, Las Palmas. In this coordination, various tactical actions were carried out between the Air and Space Army fighters and the AV8B+, in addition to the participation of a SAR Super Puma helicopter, also based at Gando.

The latest activity so far has been the Combat Group's collaboration with a Portuguese maritime patrol aircraft, thus increasing knowledge of the maritime environment.

Upcoming activities include air-to-air, air interdiction and amphibious exercises with French units in Corsica, as well as live-fire training on shooting ranges in Croatia and Romania to increase interoperability with other allied navies.

Dédalo 25

The Dédalo 25-2 Expeditionary Battle Group is equipped, trained and ready to intervene in all domains: maritime, aerospace, land and cyberspace, with a wide range of means and advanced technology. These means, together with the tactics and procedures, are interoperable with the rest of the armies, as well as with the navies and armies of allied countries.

The Dédalo Group 25-2 will be deployed in Atlantic and Mediterranean waters until 7 July, after sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar. As for its composition, it is articulated around the ‘Juan Carlos I’, accompanied by the amphibious assault ship “Galicia”, the frigate ‘Blas de Lezo’, the ‘Cantabria’, a reinforced landing battalion and an embarked air unit.

These deployments demonstrate the Navy's ability to lead and project an expeditionary force at and from sea and, where appropriate, to integrate and interoperate with other Alliance units or groups.