Spanish Army - 1985: Situation and Equipment

1985: Situation and Equipment

In this year the Spanish army began a reorganization that included a reduction by 45,000 men. It had, at the time, one armoured division (2 active armoured brigades and one reserve), one mechanized division, one motorized division, and five separate brigades (one each: airborne, armored, air-assault, infantry, heavy artillery). These units, together with some separate regiments, were in the active component of the army (Field Army or FII).

In the Territorial Army (reserve forces, known in Spanish as FDOT) there were:

• 2 Mountain TA divisions
• 1 Alpine TA brigade
• 9 infantry brigades of the TA (each based on: three battalions, one artillery group, one scout company, one signal company, one logistics company)
• 4 TA Tercios of the Spanish Legion
• 1 TA artillery brigade
• 1 TA brigade and five TA regiments of coastal artillery
• 2 TA heavy artillery regiments, and some minor units.

Other forces were: in the Balearics (three infantry regiments and support units), Canary Is. (one Tercio regiment and three infantry regiments), Ceuta and Melilla (2 regiments of African troops and three Tercios (all regular).

Weapons were (SP means Self Propelled):

• tanks: Leopard 2E(version of Leopard 2A7+, Leopard 2A4 and Centauro.
• Armoured: AML-60, AML-90, VEC, BMR-600, BLR, M113, infantery transport armored Pizarro.
• Artillery: M108 SP, Model 56 (105 mm), M109 SP, M44 SP, M114, M59 (155 mm), M107 SP(175 mm), M110 SP (203 mm), MLR Teruel 1 (140 mm), L21 (216 mm), L10(300 mm).
• Coastal artillery: 88, 152, 203, 305, 381 mm
• Mortars: Esperanza 60, 81, 120 mm, M125 SP(81 mm), M125A1 SP(120 mm)
• A.A. Weapons: M55 12,7 mm, GAO-B1 20 mm, GDF 35 mm, L70 40 mm, M117 90 mm. SAM AMX-30 Roland, HAWK, Nike Hercules.

A.T weapons: rocket launchers M65 89 mm, M 40 RLC 106 mm, ATGW Cobra, MILAN, HOT, TOW, M 47 Dragon

• Infantry weapons: M41/59 7,62 mm, HK G36 automatic rifles 7,62 mm. M4E (machine gun)
• Aviation: UH-1B/H, Cougar (HT.17), CH-47, NH 90.