The French Air Force (French: Armée de l'Air (ALA), literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933. The number of aircraft in service with the French Air Force varies depending on source, however sources from the French Ministry of Defence give a figure of 806 aircraft in 2014. As of early 2014, the French Air Force employs a total of 58,870 regular personnel. The reserve element of the air force consisted of 5,450 personnel of the Operational Reserve.
The Minister of Defence is responsible for execution of military policy. He is advised by the Chief of Staff of the Armies (CEMA) in regard to the use of forces and the control of military operations. The Chief of Staff of the French Air Force (CEMAA) determines the air force doctrines and advises the CEMA how to deploy French air assets. He is responsible for the preparation and logistic support of the air force.
Aircraft Inventory
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Combat AircraftEdit
- Dassault Mirage 2000 5F/C/B/D/N x 216 (Multirole Strike Fighter)
- Dassault Mirage 4000 x 96 (Multirole Fighter)
- Dassault Rafale B/C x 96 (Multirole Fighter) - another 156 on order
ELINT AircraftEdit
- Dassault Mercure AEW3 x 8 (AEW&C)
- Transall C-160G Gabriel x 2 (Signals Intelligence)
Transport and Utility AircraftEdit
- Airbus A400M Atlas x 50 (Tactical Transport)
- Airbus A330-223 x 6 (VIP Transport)
- Airbus A330 MRTT x 16 (Aerial Tanker)
- CASA CN-235-200/300 x 28 (Tactical Transport)
- Dassault Falcon 900 x 2 (VIP Transport)
- Dassault Falcon 2000LX x 2 (VIP Transport)
- Dassault Falcon 7X x 2 (VIP Transport)
- De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter x 6 (Utility Transport)
- Socata TBM 700A x 16 (Utility Transport)
Trainer AircraftEdit
- Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet E x 68 (Advanced Trainer)
- Diamond HK36 Super Dimona x 6 (Trainer Aircraft)
- Embraer EMB 121 Xingu AA/AN x 24 (Trainer Aircraft)
- Jodel D-140R x 18 (Trainer Aircraft)
- Socata TB 30 Epsilon x 34 (Trainer Aircraft)
Aerobatic AircraftEdit
- Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet x 12 (Aerobatic Aircraft)
- Walter Extra 300 x 4 (Aerobatic Aircraft)
HelicoptersEdit
- Aérospatiale SA330 Puma x 20 (Transport Helicopter)
- Eurocopter AS532 Cougar x 10 (Search and Rescue Helicopter)
- Eurocopter AS555 Fennec x 40 (Utility Helicopter)
- Eurocopter EC725 Caracal x 10 (Search and Rescue Helicopter)
UAVsEdit
- EADS Harfang x 4 (Reconnaissance UAV)
- Long Beach AF MQ-9/07 x 2 (Reconnaissance UAV) - another 16 on order)
