On Friday 25 November 2016, the Spanish Orion Air Contingent XXVI, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Juan Ferrero Barberán, completed a successful four month deployment with Operation Atalanta. Detachment XXVII will be commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Manuel Arozamena Sanz.
The handover ceremony was presided over by Colonel Alfonso Reyes Leis, from the Spanish Air Combat Command. During the ceremony he congratulated all outgoing personnel for their achievements and hard work in helping to ensure piracy remains suppressed.
Since 2008, the Spanish Air Force Contingent has been permanently deployed in Djibouti, flying maritime air missions along the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, as part of the European Union’s counter-piracy operation.