Strategic Air Forces Command

The Strategic Air Forces (FAS) (French: Commandement des Forces Aériennes Stratégiques (CFAS)) is a command of the French Air Force. It was created on January 14, 1964, and directs France's nuclear bombardment force.

History

Mirage IVP of Escadron de Bombardement 1/91 Gascogne.

Mirage 2000N.

The first alert conducted by a bombardier Mirage IV armed with AN-11 and a KC-135 was executed on October 8 1964: that date marked the beginning of operational permanence of French nuclear deterrence^[1]. Accordingly, the French aircraft carrier Verdun was envisaged to have deployed bomber aircraft at sea.

In April 1965, the initiative and confirmed will to establish a launch missile base « ground-to-ground strategic ballistics » (SSBS) (French: « sol-sol balistiques stratégiques ») under the Command of the Strategic Air Forces was executed. The latter was established on plateau Albion (French: plateau d'Albion) of Aerial Base 200 Apt-Saint-Christol (French: base aérienne 200 Apt-Saint-Christol) and equipped with underground launch missile silos. The latter was an operational base from August 2 1971, until dismantling on September 16 1996^[1].

In the spring of 1966, with 9 Escadrons/Squadrons of Mirage IV, the ensemble of the first composite of the deterrence force was realized. In 1973, this deterrence force comprised 60 Mirage IV spread on nine bases of the French metropolitan territory.

Since the 1990s, aircraft of the Strategic Air Forces (FAS) intervene equally in foreign exterior operations in conventional combat missions as well.

Organization

As of 1963 and until 2007, the Strategic Air Forces Command was headquartered at an underground command centre, which also welcomed the same year the Operations Center of the Strategic Air Forces (French: Centre d’Opérations des Forces Aériennes Stratégiques (COFAS)). The command post was accordingly built 50 meters under the ground, with an fallout shelter destined for the executive power in case of Nuclear war; this command post was in full operational swing in 1967.^[2].

The general headquarter staff as of September 26 2007 is situated on another Aerial Base^[3] which was at origin, a secondary operations center. Since then, Aerial Bases change and relocate continuously while the concerned Air Fleet accordingly gets relocated on permanent or temporary basis.

In 1968, at the peak of the highest alert phases, 62 Mirage IV (out of which 9 on operational alert and capable of "being engaged in 5 minutes while the remainder would follow within the hour^[4], with the alert phase readiness increasing to 15 minutes, from 1964 until 1990 respectively) formed the nucleus of the 3 Escadres Bombardment (EB) ( the 91st Bombardment Escadre (French: 91^e Escadre de Bombardement), 91^e EB - the 93rd Bombardment Escadre (French: 93^e Escadre de Bombardement), 93 ^e EB - , and the 94th Bombardment Escadre (French: 94^e Escadre de Bombardement), 94^e EB) representing several bombardments units out of which 1 training center:^[5]

• EB 1/91 « Gascogne » formed 1 October 1964 at Air Base 118 Mont-de-Marsan at Mont-de-Marsan
• EB 2/94 « Marne » (French: Escadron de Bombardement 2/94 Marne) formed 24 February 1965 at Saint-Dizier Air Base
• EB 2/91 « Bretagne » formed 1 April 1965,^[6] at Cazaux Air Base (BA 120) at Cazaux.
• EB 3/91 « Beauvaisis » (French: Escadron de Bombardement 3/91 Beauvaisis) formed 1 June 1965 at Creil Air Base (BA 110). Dissolved 30 June 1976.
• EB 3/93 « Sambre » le 6 July 1965 at Cambrai Air Base at Cambrai. Dissolved 30 June 1976.
• EB 2/93 « Cevennes » formed 31 July 1965 at BA 115 at Orange. Later redesignated « EB 3/91 Cévennes », the Escadron/Squadron was dissolved in 1983.^[7]
• EB 1/93 « Guyenne » le 15 October 1965 at Istres-Le Tube Air Base at Istres. Redesignated EB 1/94 on 30 June 1976 and transferred to Avord Air Base.
• EB 1/94 « Bourbonnais » on 1 March 1966 at Avord Air Base at Avord. Dissolved on 30 June 1976
• EB 3/94 « Arbois » (French: Escadron de bombardement 3/94 Arbois) on 1 June 1966^[7] at Aerial Base 116 Luxeuil-Saint Sauveur (BA 116) at Luxeuil
• Instruction Center of Strategic Air Forces 328 (French: Centre d'instruction des Forces aériennes stratégiques 328 (CIFAS)) created on 25 at Bordeaux-Mérignac Air Base

Jointly, can be added 12 Boeing C-135F aerial refuelling aircraft (of which 3 are on operational alert), dispersed into 3 Escadrons (ERV) :

• ERV 4/91 « Landes » created on 1 January 1964 at Mont-de-Marsan Air Base (BA 118) at Mont-de-Marsan
• ERV 4/93 « Aunis » created on 13 July 1965 on Aerial Base 125 Istres-Le Tubé at Istres. Later became ERV 4/94 « Bretagne »
• ERV 4/94 « Sologne » created on 15 April 1966 at Avord Air Base (BA 702) at Avord.

In addition to the command, can be added Aerial Base Apt-Saint-Christol (BA 200), created in April 1967 under the Plateau d'Albion and transformed to a newly designated garrison as of June 16 1999.^[8].

Independent from the Strategic Air Forces (French: Forces Aériennes Stratégiques, FAS), several installations were utilized by the latter:

• The center of experimentation of the Pacific (CEP) in French Polynesia^[9], created on July 1 1963, composed of:
  • one headquarter staff Papeete,
  • advanced Aerial Base 185 Hao (French: BA 185) at Hao created on July 1 1966 and dissolved in 2000,
  • one testing surface area at Moruroa
  • one testing surface area at Fangataufa

In 2008, 60 Mirage 2000N of the Strategic Air Forces (French: Forces Aériennes Stratégiques, FAS) are stationed at two Aerial Bases.

Rafale B of the Escadron "Gascogne" & ASMPA.

In 2014, two nuclear squadrons equipped with more than 43 aircraft compose the Strategic Air Forces (French: Forces Aériennes Stratégiques, FAS) and number around 1400 personnel^[10]:

• Escadron de Chasse 1/4 Gascogne (French: Escadron de Chasse 1/4 Gascogne) at Saint-Dizier – Robinson Air Base, armed with more than 20 Rafale B aircraft.^[11]
• Escadron de Chasse 2/4 La Fayette (French: Escadron de Chasse 2/4 La Fayette) at Istres-Le Tubé Air Base, armed with more than 20 Mirage 2000N aircraft.

In September 2018, the Mirage 2000N will be retired from service with the La Fayette Squadron converting to Rafale B. Both fighter squadrons will consolidate at the Saint-Dizier – Robinson Air Base in order to optimize training and logistics. Forward operating locations for dispersion of nuclear-armed Rafale flights will be retained at other air bases in line with the French redundancy practice to prevent taking out the aerial nuclear arm with a single massive strike.^[12]

Strategic Air Forces (French: Forces Aériennes Stratégiques, FAS) also consists of the Groupe de Ravitaillement en Vol 02.091 Bretagne^[13] (French: Groupe de Ravitaillement en Vol 02.091 Bretagne) operating on 14 KC-135 based on an Aerial Base and will be replaced by 12 Airbus A330 MRTT « Phénix » between 2018 and 2025.

Nuclear Arm Depots

A scale maquette of ASMPA.

During the retrieval service, between 1986 and 1989, of the numerous AN-22 bomb equipping the Mirage IV bombardment units, a new generation of airborne missile (ASMPA) arms were placed in service. These arms are maintained in operational conditioning and stocked in various designated special munitions depots (French: Dépôts Ateliers Munitions Spéciales DAMS), which are highly protected sites on different Aerial Bases.

As of 2010, the Air-Sol Moyenne Portée (ASMPA) of new generation is destined for the Strategic Air Forces (FAS) of the French Air Force and the French Naval Nuclear Force (French: Force Aéronavale Nucléaire, FANU) of the French Navy (Marine Nationale). The new equipment (French: Tête Nucléaire Aéroportée) (TNA) is of an estimated power mass of 300 kt.

As of end of 2008 and until 2012, depots were reorganized at the occasion of the arrival of the ASMPA missile to be re-baptized under another ASMPA depot vector (French: « Dépôts vecteurs ASMPA » (DVA)). The special munitions depot (French: Dépôts Ateliers Munitions Spéciales DAMS) change frequently. The DVA is confined to the squadron during the placement in effect, while the TNA are handled differently, in a specialized zone that is very well protected.

Notes

Bibliography

• Serge Gadal, Forces Aériennes Stratégiques, préface de Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France, Economica, 2009 ISBN 978-2717857580
• Robert Galan, Forces Aériennes Stratégiques : missions au cœur du secret défense, Privat, collection Aviation, 2014 ISBN 978-2708992559 ,Réalisé en collaboration avec l’Association Nationale des anciens des Forces Aériennes Stratégiques (ANFAS)
• Hervé Beaumont, Les forces aériennes stratégiques 1964-2014, Histoire et Collections, collection Aviation, 2014 ISBN 978-2352503941
• Frédéric Lert & Hervé Beaumont, Les Forces Aériennes Stratégiques : 50 ans d’alerte nucléaire, Zéphyr Éditions, collection Prestige, 2015 ISBN 978-2361181680