Latest news with #SpanishArmy
The Sun
18-07-2025
- Climate
- The Sun
Wildfires rip across Spain turning Madrid skies ORANGE as army deployed with fears wild winds will wreak havoc today
WILDFIRES are ripping across Spain turning Madrid's skies orange as the army deploys to fight the out of control blazes. Fears are rising that a dry wind today will fan the flames further and firefighters could be in for a long haul trying to get them back under control. 6 6 One blaze sending smoke over Madrid has already burned through 3,000 hectares and is threatening to burn more. More than 100 firefighters are battling it from the ground and air as officials told dozens of people to leave their homes and evacuate. Planes and helicopters could be seen dropping huge amounts of water across the hot zone. Firefighters on the ground hacked away at scrub and dirt as they sought to stop the blaze from spreading. The Spanish army deployed its emergency unit - which includes firefighters. The fire, about 30miles southwest of the capital, broke out on Thursday near the town of Mentrida. Temperatures reached 37 degrees in Madrid. The city's civil protection authority advised people to stay indoors and recommended masks to avoid inhaling ash as the gigantic cloud of orange and grey smoke hung over the city. Officials said on Friday morning that 95 per cent of the fire had been contained by the brave firefighters. With a reduction in smoke and better visibility, transport authorities have also been happy to open nearby roads. Tomorrowland chaos after huge fire breaks out on main stage a DAY before festival is due to start But officials are now worried that firefighters could lose control the blaze again due to the wind forecast. Temps are forecast to reach 34 degrees today in the city, but gusts of up to 39mph could fan the flames further. Large parts of eastern Spain are under heat and fire warnings running from the Pyrenees down to the southern coast. The mayor of Méntrida, Alfonso Arriero, said firefighters near the blaze were trying to stop it from sparking back up. He said: "We're using all available resources in case the wind changes direction or a flare-up flares up again. 6 6 "But right now, we're calm about that, but at the same time, we're quite concerned about what's happening and how it doesn't flare up again." The cause of the fire is unknown. Last week, Spanish authorities ordered nearly 20,000 people to stay indoors due to smoke in Catalonia after one blaze burned 3,000 hectares. Two died in a separate wildfire in the same region on July 1. It comes after a wildfire erupted in London on Monday with 125 firefighters battling to keep the blaze away from nearby homes. Plumes of dark smoke could be seen hanging over rows of houses in the East London area while grass could be seen burning away. And Tomorrowland bosses have pledged to build a new main stage in time for this weekend's festival after the original burned down. Years of creativity and craftsmanship had gone into building the main stage set piece but the whole lot went up in flames on Wednesday.
France 24
18-07-2025
- Climate
- France 24
Spain taming fire that belched smoke cloud over Madrid
The blaze that broke out on Thursday around 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of the city had burned 3,100 hectares (7,660 acres), the Madrid region's leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso wrote on X. More than 100 firefighters and the Spanish army's emergencies unit were deployed on the ground and in the air to extinguish the flames. "The fire is now contained," Madrid's emergency services agency said, warning that the wind forecast for Friday "could make the work difficult". Madrid's civil protection authority advised people to stay indoors on Thursday as the gigantic cloud of orange and grey smoke hung over the city, recommending masks to avoid inhaling ash. Normality was returning on Friday in the municipalities closest to the fire, with a major motorway reopened and clear skies in Madrid. Although the cause of the fire is unknown, Spain is experiencing hotter summers stoked by human-induced climate change, which increases the length, frequency and intensity of wildfires.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Competitors for Spain's future 6x6 armored vehicle face off in Madrid
PARIS — Defense manufacturers eyeing a possible Spanish order for a new 6-wheeled armored vehicle flocked to Madrid this week for the biannual Feindef defense show, presenting new designs or agreeing to work together on armor for the country's land forces. Spain's Technology & Security Developments and Grupo Oesía, Turkey's FNSS Savunma Sistemleri and Belgium's John Cockerill Defense signed a memorandum of understanding to provide a six-wheeled cavalry vehicle for the Spanish Army, the companies said in a joint statement on Wednesday. TDS, Oesía, FNSS and John Cockerill said they aim to offer the Spanish Army an off-the-shelf solution, with local logistics support and life cycle management. Their offer is specifically designed for cavalry operations and providing fire support for expeditionary forces, the four firms said. Spain's Ejercito de Tierra operates the 6x6 BMR, a more than four decades-old 15-ton vehicle built by Santa Bárbara Sistemas, now part of General Dynamics European Land Systems, or GDELS. The army is replacing at least part of its wheeled fleet with the 8x8 Dragón, a heavier and more expensive vehicle that's faced delivery delays and which local media report has suffered mechanical issues. Indra acquired a majority stake in the consortium that makes the Dragón in October, buying shares from partners GDELS, SAPA and Escribano Mechanical and Engineering, or EM&E. Separately, Spain's EM&E presented the Ferox 6x6 armored vehicle at Feindef, after an agreement in February with NIMR Automotive, a unit of the United Arab Emirates' EDGE, to build six-wheeled armored vehicles in Spain. The agreement provides for transfer of knowledge and 'progressive national industrialization' of the vehicle, with design authority in Spain, EM&E said. 'This vehicle marks the beginning of a new stage for EM&E Group in the field of armored vehicles,' Chief Executive Fernando Fernández said. Meanwhile, Rheinmetall and Indra on Tuesday announced a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on armored-vehicle projects for the Spanish armed forces. With the MoU, the companies 'start a strong alliance to support the efforts of the Spanish Armed Forces to modernize their fleet of combat vehicles,' said Eduardo Veen Martinez, the CEO of Rheinmetall's tactical vehicles business unit. For its part, GDELS presented its Pandur 6x6 EVO armored vehicle at the defense show in Madrid, with the company saying its presence as Feindef reflects a 'firm commitment' to the Spanish armed forces and the government's defense industrial strategy. The company also unveiled a new tracked artillery system at the show called the Ascod Nemesis, consisting of a 155mm artillery gun module from KNDS mounted on an Ascod tracked chassis by GDELS.
Morocco World
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Madrid Cancels Al Hoceima 1925 Centennial Event to Preserve Morocco Ties
Doha – Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles has ordered the cancellation of military ceremonies planned to commemorate the centennial of the 1925 Alhucemas Landing, in a move to maintain positive diplomatic relations with Morocco. As reported by El Confidencial Digital, the Spanish Army had initially prepared a comprehensive celebration program for what they consider 'one of Spain's great contemporary military successes.' However, the plans were swiftly terminated following ministerial intervention. This military operation signaled the return of the Spaniards to the Rif following their defeat at the Battle of Anoual on July 22, 1921. This marked one of the darkest episodes of Spanish colonialism in Morocco, where Spanish and French forces launched a massive assault on Al Hoceima in 1925 to crush the Rif resistance movement led by Abdelkrim el-Khattabi. This operation marked the return of the Spaniards to the Rif following their defeat at the Battle of Anoual on July 22, 1921. Around 13,000 Spanish troops, backed by 160 aircraft, alongside three battleships, and multiple naval vessels, launched a brutal maritime attack against 9,000 Moroccan resistance fighters defending their homeland. Military sources revealed to El Confidencial Digital that 'the minister ordered to halt any act of remembrance of this military operation.' The sources articulated that the decision aimed to 'avoid any act that would anger or disturb Morocco.' The Spanish Army and defense staff had allocated funds for organizing various events to mark what they describe as the first major joint operation between the army, navy and air force. General José Agustín Carreras, head of the Alfonso XIII Brigade II of the Legion, had declared in the recent issue of 'La Legión' magazine that the Alhucemas Landing centenary would be among the 'important institutional events' for 2025. When questioned about the commemorative plans, the army headquarters provided a terse response, stating that 'the Centenary of the Alhucemas Landing is not a specific Army anniversary.' The State Major of Defense (EMAD) similarly disclosed that their only planned activity would be 'producing a monograph about the Alhucemas landing.' Furthermore, the Spanish Institute of Military History and Culture projected the Fifth Centenary of the Battle of Pavia (1525) as their main historical commemoration for 2025, avoiding mention of the Alhucemas anniversary. The operation site includes the Al Hoceima rock and the islands of Tierra and Mar, which Morocco considers as inseparable parts of its national territory under Spanish occupation since 1560, along with other occupied territories in North Africa such as Ceuta and Melilla. These territories, which Spain refers to as 'Plazas de Soberanía' (Places of Sovereignty), remain at the center of Morocco's pursuit of full territorial integrity towards the completion of its decolonization process. El Confidencial Digital pointed out that previous anniversaries of the Alhucemas Landing have been marked only by isolated celebrations. The Ceuta Sea Company commemorated their Naval Medal award for participation in the landing in 2020, while Melilla's Regular Forces Group 52 marked their creation anniversary in 2023. Spain strives to prevent further diplomatic blunders The decision reflects Spain's careful diplomatic approach toward Morocco, in order to preserve bilateral ties that have been put in jeopardy in the past. This relationship faced a serious crisis in May 2021 when Spain secretly arranged to hospitalize Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali for COVID-19 treatment. Ghali, who entered Spain using a false identity as 'Mohammed Ben Battouch,' was wanted in the European country on charges of war crimes, terrorism, and kidnapping, based on lawsuits filed by Spanish families and Sahrawis who alleged torture in Polisario-controlled Tindouf camps. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's decision to accept Ghali without notifying Morocco — one of Spain's principal trading partners — about the arrangement with Algeria severely strained bilateral relations. However, relations improved markedly in March 2022 when the prime minister notably shifted Spain's position on Western Sahara, backing Morocco's autonomy proposal. Tags: Morocco Spain relations
