Airbus has delivered its last Dauphin helicopter, an AS365 N3, to the Spanish Customs Service. This helicopter will reinforce the Customs Surveillance Service’s capacity to combat drug trafficking in the Strait of Gibraltar, the Alboran Sea and in Galicia.
The helicopter was customised at Airbus Helicopters’ facilities in Albacete and comes equipped with mission equipment such as an electro-optical system, radar, tactical communications system and search light, since most of the patrol flights take place at night. Thanks to its long-range fuel tanks, the Spanish Customs’ Dauphin can fly up to three hours and 30 minutes and reach a fast cruise speed of 145 kts – an essential asset when it comes to reaching the vessels of drug traffickers.
The Spanish Customs’ three Dauphins perform maritime patrol missions to track, chase, and intercept high-speed smuggling boats typically transporting contraband. In 2021, the Dauphin helicopters contributed to the seizure of more than 200 tons of illegal drugs in Spain, working with the Custom Service’s 45 vessels and land units.
