Military power of France & Spain
France vs Spain
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France is a country located in
metropolitan France: Western Europe with an area of 640,679 km2 (land boundries: 3,956 km and costline 4,853 km
metropolitan France:>3,427 km). The capital of France is Paris. The number of inhabitants is 67,413,000.
France was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty, which created NATO in 1949. France and the UK signed in 2010 a declaration on defense and security cooperation that included greater military interoperability and a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force. The CJEF was assessed as having full operating capacity with the ability to rapidly deploy over 10,000 personnel. The French military's inventory consists mostly of domestically-produced weapons systems, including some jointly-produced with other European countries. France has a defense industry capable of manufacturing the full spectrum of military weapons systems.
More about France militarySpain is a country located in Southwestern Europe with an area of 505,990 km2 (land boundries: 1,952.7 km and costline 4,964 km). The capital of Spain is Madrid. The number of inhabitants is 47,450,795.
Spain joined NATO in 1982. The inventory of the Spanish military is comprised of domestically-produced and imported Western weapons systems. Spain's defense industry manufactures land, air, and sea weapons systems and is integrated within the European defense-industrial sector.
More about Spain militaryIf you want to check the comparison in terms of economic ratios check out CompareEconomy.com
Military expenditures
 FR |  ES | |
|---|---|---|
| Military budget: | 54 billion $ | 19.5 billion $ |
| Percent of GDP: | 1.7% | 1.4% |
Manpower
| FR | ES | |
|---|---|---|
| Active personnel: | 208,750 | 133,282 |
| Reserve personnel: | 141,050 | 15,150 |
| Available for military: | 14,563,662 | 11,759,557 |
Land Forces
| FR | ES | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanks: | 406 | 327 | |
| Armoured fighting vehicles: | 6,463 | 2,361 | |
| Total artillery: | 134 | 242 | |
| Self-propelled artillery: | 109 | 102 | |
| Rocket artillery: | 13 | 0 |
Air Forces
| FR | ES | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total aircraft: | 1,253 | 570 | |
| Fighter aircraft: | 56 | 68 | |
| Multirole aircraft: | 146 | 84 | |
| Attack aircraft: | 86 | 13 | |
| Helicopters: | 540 | 152 | |
| UCAV (combat drone): | 12 | 4 |
Navy
| FR | ES | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total naval: | 111 | 60 | |
| Aircraftcarriers: | 4 | 1 | |
| Destroyers: | 11 | 0 | |
| Frigates: | 11 | 11 | |
| Corvettes: | 0 | 0 | |
| Submarines: | 10 | 2 |
☢ Nuclear weapons
France
France managed to research and develop its own nuclear weapon in 1960. The test, known as, Gerboise Bleue, was the result of mostly French research. One of the main figures that played crucial role in the entire process of developing the bomb was General Pierre Marie Gallois. He was concerned that the Suez Crisis, which started in 1956, would show the world how insignificant France became, since out of all Great Powers in the world, they were the only one without possessing its own nuclear arsenal. The tests were conducted on the terrains of Sahara Desert.
At this moment France owns 300 nuclear warheads, out of which almost all are deployed. What is more, compared to Great Britain, they made more tests, approximately 210. Noteworthy is the fact that the development of the first nuclear bomb in France as well as its tests were a bit controversial. It was due to the fact that France allowed Israeli observers to attend the tests, providing them with almost unrestricted access to all the data. It was quite important, since Israel, together with United Kingdom and France, were trying to invade Egypt.
Spain
Does not have nuclear weapons.
Military service
France
18-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription; 1-year service obligation; women serve in noncombat post.
Spain
18-26 years of age for voluntary military service by a Spanish citizen or legal immigrant, 2-3 year obligation; women allowed to serve in all SAF branches, including combat units; no conscription, but Spanish Government retains right to mobilize citizens 19-25 years of age in a national emergency; mandatory retirement of non-NCO enlisted personnel at age 45 or 58, depending on service length.