On 22 March, the XXIV Spanish Air Force contingent handed over maritime patrol and reconnaissance duties to the incoming XXV Detachment. The new crew will continue to operate the P-3 aircraft.
Command of the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) was transferred from Spanish Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Santiago Ibarreta Ruiz to Lieutenant Colonel Rafael Saiz Quevedo in a ceremony presided over by Colonel Luis Dosdá Fernández from the Spanish Air Combat Command. Colonel Dosdá wished the new crew every success and commended the XXIV Detachment for their hard work. He also expressed gratitude to the French authorities for the continuous support provided to the MPRA in Djibouti.
Since Operation Atalanta was launched by the European Union in December 2008, MPRA has been the Force Commander’s ‘eye in the sky’. It allows quick identification of maritime traffic and enables the Operation to keep a close watch for suspicious vessels off the Somali coast to ensure security for other seafarers is maintained.