French Air and Space Force

The French Air and Space Force is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the French Air Force. On 11 September 2020, it assumed its current name, the French Air and Space Force, to reflect an "evolution of its mission" into the area of outer space.
The number of aircraft in service with the French Air and Space Force varies depending on the source; the Ministry of Armed Forces gives a figure of 658 aircraft in 2014. According to 2025 data, this figure includes 207 combat aircraft: 99 Dassault Mirage 2000 and 108 Dassault Rafale. the French Air and Space Force employs a total of 40,500 regular personnel, with a reserve element of 5,187 in 2014.
The Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force is a direct subordinate of the Chief of the Defence Staff, a high-ranking military officer who in turn answers to the civilian Minister of the Armed Forces.

History

In the beginning

Establishment of the

The founding of the Service Aéronautique began in 1909, when the French War Minister approved the purchase of a Wright Biplane. The following year, another Wright biplane, a Bleriot, and two Farmans were added to the lone acquisition. On 22 October 1910, General Pierre Roques was appointed Inspector General of what was becoming referred to as the Cinquieme Arme, or Fifth Service.
In March 1912, the French parliament enacted legislation to establish the air arm. It was projected to consist of three distinct branches based on aircraft missions—reconnaissance, bombing, or countering other aircraft.

Inventing the fighter plane

was one of the first states to start building aircraft. At the beginning of World War I, France had a total of 148 planes and 15 airships.
In August 1914, as France entered World War I, French airpower consisted of 24 squadrons supporting ground forces, including three squadrons assigned to cavalry units. By 8 October, expansion to 65 squadrons was being planned. By December, the plans called for 70 new squadrons.
Meanwhile, even as procurement efforts scaled up, inventive airmen were trying to use various light weapons against opposing airplanes. Roland Garros invented a crude method of firing a machine gun through the propeller arc by cladding his propeller with metal wedges deflecting any errant bullets. After destroying three German airplanes, Garros came down behind enemy lines on 18 April 1915. His secret weapon was thus exposed, and Anthony Fokker came up with the synchronization gear that by July 1, 1915, turned airplanes into flying gun platforms.

Founding fighter formations

On 21 February 1916, the Verdun Offensive began. New weapons demanded new tactics. Commandant Charles de Tricornet de Rose was the original French pilot, having learned to fly in March 1911. This experienced flier was given a free hand to select pilots and airplanes for a new unit tasked with keeping German observation craft from over the French lines. The ad hoc unit commandeered all available Morane-Saulniers and Nieuport 11s, as well as the 15 best pilots regardless of posting. This ad hoc unit patrolling the skies over Verdun was the first French Groupement de Chasse. The Groupement was successful despite Tricornet's death in a mishap. Under the leadership of new commander Captain Auguste de Reverand, such flying aces as Georges Guynemer, Charles Nungesser, and Albert Deullin began their careers.
Encouraged by the success of their original Groupement, the French massed several squadrons for the Battle of the Somme. The burgeoning French aircraft inventory afforded the formation of Groupement de Combat de la Somme under Captain Felix Brocard. The Groupement was formed on 1 July 1916 with a posting of four Nieuport squadrons: Squadron N.3, N.26, N.73, and N.103. Three other squadrons--Squadron N.37, N.62, and N.65 were temporarily attached at various times.
On 19 October 1916, three fixed Groupes de Combat were established, each to consist of four squadron. Numbered 11, 12, and 13, they were only the first three Groupements.

Concentrating airpower

During March 1917, Groupe de Combat 14 and Groupe de Combat 15 were formed. Again, each new Groupe was assigned four Nieuport fighter squadrons; again, each was sent to support a different French field army.
On 10 January 1918, Groupe de Combat 16 was formed from four SPAD squadrons. In February, five more Groupe de Combats were founded from SPAD squadrons: Groupes de Combats number 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21. The various Nieuport models were now being phased out as the new SPADs filled the inventories of the French.
With the Groupes success, the French were encouraged to amass airpower into still larger tactical units. On 4 February 1918, Escadre de Combat No. 1 was created out of Groupe de Combat 15, Groupe de Combat 18, and Groupe de Combat 19. It was followed by Escadre de Combat No. 2, formed on the 27th from Groupe de Combat 11, Groupe de Combat 13, and Groupe de Combat 17. Each groupe would be stocked with 72 fighters.
The escadres were not the end of the French accumulation of air power. On 14 May 1918, they were grouped into the Division Aerienne. As bombing aircraft were also being concentrated into larger units, the new division would also contain Escadre de Bombardement No. 12 and Escadre de Bombardement No. 13. The bombing units were both equipped with 45 Breguet 14 bombers. The last addition to the new division was five protection squadrons, operating 75 Caudron R.11 gunships to fly escort for the Breguets.
On 25 June 1918, Groupe de Combat 22 was founded. Groupe de Combat 23 followed soon thereafter. A couple of night bombardment groupes were also founded.

Committing the ''Division Aerienne''

Then, on 15 July 1918, the Division was committed to the Second Battle of the Marne. From then on, whether in whole or in part, the Division Aerienne fought until war's end. By the time of the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, the French could commit 27 fighter squadrons to the effort, along with reconnaissance and bombing squadrons. The 1,137 airplanes dedicated to the battle were the most numerous used in a World War I battle.
When the 11 November 1918 armistice came, French air power had expanded to 336 squadrons, 74 of which were SPAD fighter squadrons. France had 3,608 planes in service. Confirmed claims of 2,049 destroyed enemy airplanes included 307 that had been brought down within French lines. French airmen had also destroyed 357 observation balloons. However, 5,500 pilots and observers were killed out of the 17,300 engaged in the conflict, amounting to 31%. A 1919 newspaper article reported that the French Air Force had suffered losses of 61%.

Interwar period

Military aeronautics was established as a "special arm" by the law of 8 December 1922. It remained under the auspices of the French Army. It was not until 2 July 1934, that the "special arm" became an independent service and was totally independent.
The initial air arm was the cradle of French military parachuting, responsible for the first formation of the Air Infantry Groups in the 1930s, out of which the Air Parachute Commandos descended.
The French Air Force maintained a continuous presence across the French colonial empire, particularly from the 1920s to 1943.

World War II

The French Air Force played an important role in WWII, most notably during the Battle of France in 1940. The Vichy French Air Force had later a significant presence in the French Levant.
The engagement of the Free French Air Forces from 1940 to 1943, and then the engagement of the aviators of the French Liberation Army, were also important episodes in the history of the French Air Force. The sacrifices of Commandant René Mouchotte and Lieutenant Marcel Beau illustrated their devotion.

1945–present

After 1945, France rebuilt its aircraft industry. The French Air Force participated in several colonial wars during the Empire such as French Indochina after the Second World War. Since 1945, the French Air Force was notably engaged in Indochina War|Indochina].
The French Air Force was active in Algeria from 1952 until 1962 and Suez, later Mauritania and Chad, the Persian Gulf, ex-Yugoslavia and more recently in Afghanistan, Mali and Iraq.
From 1964 until 1971 the French Air Force had the unique responsibility for the French nuclear arm via Dassault Mirage IV or ballistic missiles of Air Base 200 Apt-Saint-Christol on the Plateau d'Albion.
File:Dassault Mirage IIIC, France - Air Force AN0695826.jpg|thumb|left|240px|Mirage IIIC of EC 2/10 "Seine" pictured in 1980 armed with a Matra R.530
Accordingly, from 1962, the French political leadership shifted its military emphasis to nuclear deterrence, implementing a complete reorganisation of the Air Force, with the creation of four air regions and seven major specialised commands, among which were the Strategic Air Forces Command, COTAM, the Air Command of Aerial Defense Forces, and the Force aérienne tactique. In 1964, the Second Tactical Air Command was created in Nancy to take command of air units stationed in France but not assigned to NATO. The Military Air Transport Command had previously been formed in February 1962 from the Groupement d'Unités Aériennes Spécialisées. Also created in 1964 was the Escadron des Fusiliers Commandos de l'Air, seemingly grouping all FCA units. The Dassault Mirage IV, the principal French strategic bomber, was designed to strike Soviet positions as part of the French nuclear triad.
In 1985, the Air Force had four major flying commands, the Strategic Air Forces Command, the Tactical Air Forces Command, the Military Air Transport Command, and CAFDA.
File:Two French air force Dassault Mirage F1C aircraft.jpg|thumb|right|260px|A 1986 view of a Mirage F1 from the Escadron de Chasse 2/30 Normandie-Niemen and another from the Escadron de Chasse 3/30 Lorraine, both armed with Matra R.530 missiles. Squadron insignias are visible on the two aircraft.
CFAS had two squadrons of S2 and S-3 IRBMs at the Plateau d'Albion, six squadrons of Mirage IVAs, and three squadrons of C-135F, as well as a training/reconnaissance unit, CIFAS 328, at Bordeaux. The tactical air command included wings EC 3, EC 4, EC 7, EC 11, EC 13, and ER 33, with a total of 19 squadrons of Mirage III, Jaguars, two squadrons flying the Mirage 5F, and a squadron flying the Mirage F.1CR. CoTAM counted 28 squadrons, of which ten were fixed-wing transport squadrons, and the remainder helicopter and liaison squadrons, at least five of which were overseas. CAFDA numbered 14 squadrons mostly flying the Mirage F.1C. Two other commands had flying units, the Air Force Training Command, and the Air Force Transmissions Command, with four squadrons and three trials units.
Dassault Aviation led the way mainly with delta-wing designs, which formed the basis for the Dassault Mirage III series of fighter jets. The Mirage demonstrated its abilities in the Six-Day War, Yom Kippur War, Falklands War, and Gulf War, becoming one of the most popular jet fighters of its day and being widely sold.
In 1994, the Fusiliers Commandos de l'Air command was reestablished under a different form.
The French Air Force entered a phase of inventory replacement and expansion. The Air Force ordered the Airbus A400M military transport aircraft, then in development. By November 2016, 11 had already been delivered to ET00.061 at Orleans-Bricy, and integration of the new Dassault Rafale multi-role jet fighter was underway; the first 20-aircraft squadron became operational in 2006 at Saint-Dizier.
In 2009, France rejoined the NATO Military Command Structure, having been absent since 1966. France was a leading nation, alongside the United States, United Kingdom and Italy in implementing the UN sponsored no-fly zone in Libya, deploying 20 fighter aircraft to Benghazi in defense of rebel-held positions and the civilian population.
The last remaining squadron of Dassault Mirage F1s retired the aircraft in July 2014 and replaced them with Dassault Rafales.
On 13 July 2019, President Emmanuel Macron announced the creation of a space command, which would come into being within the French Air Force by September 2019, and the transformation of the French Air Force into the French Air and Space Force. According to Defense Minister Florence Parly, France reserves the right to arm French satellites with lasers for defensive purposes.
The official renaming occurred on 24 July 2020, with the new Air and Space Force logo unveiled on 11 September 2020.
On 26 July 2023, FASF conducted its first ever joint fighter exercise with Japan, continuing its defense ties between the two countries.

Structure

The Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force determines French Air and Space Force doctrines application and advises the Chief of the Defence Staff on the deployment, manner, and use of the Air and Space Force. They are responsible for the preparation and logistic support of the French Air and Space Force. The CEMAA is assisted by a Deputy Chief, the Major Général de l'Armée de l'Air, who is the Chief of Staff of the Air and Space Forces Staff. Finally, the CEMAA is assisted by the Inspectorate of the French Air and Space Force and by the French Air and Space Force Health Service Inspection.
The Air and Space Force is organized in accordance with Chapter 4, Title II, Book II of the Third Part of the , which replaced decree n° 91-672 dated 14 July 1991.
Under the authority of the Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force in Paris, the Air and Space Force includes:

Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force, heading the État-major de l'Armee de l'air et de l'espace
Forces
Air Bases
Directorate of Human Resources of the French Air and Space Force
Services

The Air and Space Force headquarters, employing 150 personnel, are located alongside the Chief of the Defence Staff's offices and the Army and Navy headquarters at the Balard armed forces complex in Paris. The new site replaced the former Paris Air Base which served as air staff headquarters until 25 June 2015.

Air and Space Army Staff

The Air and Space Army Staff is the highest service-specific authority of the French air force. It is formally under the command of the Chief of Staff of the Air and Space Force, but the organisation is under the direct authority of his deputy, the Major General of the Air and Space Force
Organisation:
Chief of Staff of the Air and Space Force , the chief of the French Air and Space Force, officer in the rank of General of Air Army

Director of the Aeronautical Industrial Service in charge of the overhaul of all aerial vehicles of the French Armed Forces, officer in the rank of a General Engineer for Armament First Class
Commandant of the Air and Space Gendarmerie, the chief of the French Air and Space Force military police force, officer in the rank of a General of Brigade

Major General of the Air and Space Force , officer in the rank of General of Air Corps

directly subordinate:
* forces :
** Commandant of the Air Force Brigade of Fighter Aviation , is responsible for all air defense, air-to-ground and reconnaissance aircraft. Commanded by an officer in the rank of a General of Air Brigade. With the creation of the BACEA on the basis of the former BACE brigade, its surface-to-air missile units were transferred to the fighter brigade.
*** Fighter units:
**** 2nd Fighter Wing
***** Fighter Squadron 1/2 Cigognes
**** 3rd Fighter Wing
***** Fighter Squadron 1/3 Navarre
***** Fighter Squadron 2/3 Champagne
***** Fighter Squadron 3/3 Ardennes
**** 30th Fighter Wing
***** Fighter and Experimentation Squadron 1/30 Côte d'Argent
***** Fighter Regiment 2/30 Normandie-Niémen
***** Fighter Squadron 3/30 Lorraine
**** 5th Fighter Wing
***** Fighter Squadron 1/5 Vendée
**** 8th Fighter Wing
***** Training Squadron 3/8 Côte d'Or
**** Separate squadrons:
***** Rafale Conversion Squadron 3/4 Aquitaine
***** Fighter Squadron 3/11 Corse
***** Fighter Squadron 1/7 Provence
*** Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance units:
**** 33rd Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Attack Wing
***** UAV Squadron 1/33 Belfort
***** UAV Squadron 2/33 Savoie
***** OCU UAV Squadron 3/33 Moselle
***** Reconnaissance Squadron 4/33 Périgord
*** surface-to-air missile units :
**** Air Defence Surface-to-Air Wing – 1st Air Defence Artillery Regiment, based at Avord Air Base
***** Air Defence Surface-to-Air Squadron 02.950 "Sancerre"
***** Technical Support Surface-to-Air Squadron
***** Air Defence Surface-to-Air Training Center
**** Air Defence Surface-to-Air Squadron 01.950 "Crau"
**** Air Defence Surface-to-Air Squadron 05.950 "Barrois"
**** Air Defence Surface-to-Air Squadron 12.950 "Tursan"
** Commandant of the Air Force Brigade of Assault and Projection , is responsible for all tactical transport and liaison aircraft. Commanded by an officer in the rank of a General of Air Brigade.
** Commandant of the Air Force Brigade of Special Forces . Air Force Special Forces Brigade was created in 2020 on the basis of the former Air Force Security Forces Brigade. In the 2020–2021 period the French Air and Space Force overhauled the force structure of its security and firefighting and rescue units, which were previously grouped together in the ). The brigade combines the aerial special operations assets of the air force, the land warfare special units Air Parachute Commando No. 10, No. 20 and No. 30, the security companies of the various air bases, The Operational Training Center for Air Force Combatants at the as well as the air force's Survival and Rescue Training Center at Cazaux Air Base. Commanded by an officer in the rank of a General of Air Brigade.
* academic establishments:
** Commandant of the Centre d'expertise aérienne militaire , officer in the rank of a General of Air Brigade
** Commandant of the Centre for Strategic Aerospatial Studies , officer in the rank of a General of Air Brigade
* Physician Assistant on Health Matters to the MGAAE
Air and Space Force Staff
* Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programmes in charge of preparation of armaments and equipment programmes, officer in the rank of a General of Air Division
* Deputy Chief of Staff for Activities in charge of operational readiness, application and support of the forces, training directives and personnel instruction, officer in the rank of a General of Air Division
* Deputy Chief of Staff for Performance and Synthesis for the supervision of Air Force cross-functional projects, information management, performance management and control of Air Force activities, officer in the rank of a General of Air Division
* General Officer in Charge of External Relations in charge of bilateral cooperation with foreign air forces and support for exports, officer in the rank of a General of Air Brigade
* General Officer for Nuclear Matters and Security in charge of Air Force policy on the control and prevention of nuclear, radiological, biological and chemical risks, officer in the rank of a General of Air Brigade
* General Officer for Cybersecurity, officer in the rank of a General of Air Brigade
* General Officer for Maintenance in Opetrational Condition, officer in the rank of a General of Air Brigade
* General Officer for Very High Altitudes in charge of exploitation of the space domain, officer in the rank of a General of Air Brigade
Inspector of the Air and Space Force, officer in the rank of General of Air Corps
Director for Human Resources of the Air and Space Force, officer in the rank of General of Air Corps
Territorial Commander of the Air and Space Force, officer in the rank of General of Air Corps
Commander of Air Defence and Air Operations, officer in the rank of General of Air Corps
Commander of Strategic Air Forces, officer in the rank of General of Air Corps
Commander of Space Command, officer in the rank of General of Air Division
Commands

The French Air and Space Force has had three commands: two grand operational commands and one organic command.

Commandement de la Défense Aérienne et des Opérations Aériennes, is responsible for surveillance of French airspace, as well as all aerial operations in progress. It does not possess aircraft. Instead it exercises operational control over units of the Air Forces Command (CFA).
* Air Defence and Air Operations Staff composed of the:
** Air Force Operational Staff and the
** Permanent readiness command center, both situated at the Balard complex
** direct reporting units:
*** Air Force Operations Brigade
**** National Air Operations Center
**** Core Joint Force Air Component HQ
**** Analysis and Simulation Center for Air Operations Preparation
*** Air Force Operational Awareness and Planning Brigade
**** Air Force Intelligence Center at BA 942 Lyon-Mont Verdun air base
**** National Target Designation Center at BA 110 Creil-Senlis air base
**** Land-based Electronic Warfare Squadron at BA 123 Orléans-Bricy air base
**** Intelligence Training Squadron 20.530 , training air and space force and naval officers, integrated in the Joint Intelligence Training Center in Strasbourg
*** Air Force Brigade for Permanent Aerial Security Readiness, based at BA 942 Lyon-Mont Verdun air base, created at the end of 2020 and in charge of air policing
*** Air Force Brigade for Airspace Control, based at BA 942 Lyon-Mont Verdun air base, created in 2023 in line with Plan Altaïr for teh reorganisation of the French Air and Space Force. Created by the merger of the former Airspace Control Brigade and the Information and Communication Systems component of the Air Force Brigade for Aerial Maneuver Support. The BACE was responsible for. Since 2007 the command, control and information systems network of the air and space force have been is integrated into the Joint Directorate of Infrastructure Networks and Information Systems ). With the creation of the BACEA the surface-to-air missile squadrons were transferred to the Air Force Fighter Aviation Brigade. The annual post-statement of the Air Defence and Air Operations Command describes the new brigade as a formation of 57 subordinated units and its HQ in Bordeaux, fulfilling the following key tasks: tactical control of air assets, aerial transit control of air assets, air traffic control, support of the information and communication systems of the air force, training and expertise in air traffic management, forward deployment of information and communication systems and command and control assets.
**** detection and control centers:
***** Detection and Control Center 07.927 Tours – Cinq-Mars-la-Pile
***** Detection and Control Center 04.930 Mont-de-Marsan
***** Detection and Control Center 05.942 Lyon – Mont Verdun
**** airborne airspace surveillance units:
***** 36th Airborne Command and Control Wing, based at Avord Air Base
****** 36th Airborne Command and Control Squadron "Berry", flying the Boeing E-3F Sentry
**** ground-based airspace surveillance units:
***** GRAVES System
***** 3 surveillance and air defence radar installations equipped with the Ground Master 406 radar: années 2010 trois Ground Master 406, le premier installé en Guyane, le second sur la base aérienne de Nice en 2017 et le troisième sur la Base aérienne 942 and at Lyon-Mont Verdun Air Base in 2019.
***** 12 surveillance and air defence radar installations equipped with the Ground Master 403T radar in metropolitan France, re-equipped in the 2019–2022 period.
**** airspace controle of military air bases:
***** units for local aerospace surveillance of the immediate environs of air bases ;
***** approach radars and landing aide systems
**** surface-to-air signals units in metropolitan France
***** Expeditionary Command and Control Air Force Wing 00.550, based at Évreux-Fauville Air Base and formed on August 27, 2015, on the basis of the former Groupement tactique des systèmes d’information et de communication.
****** Wing Command
****** Tactical Telecommunications Systems Squadron 11.550
****** Tactical Surveillance Systems Squadron 12.550
****** Tactical Information Systems Squadron 13.550
****** Tactical Training and Expertise Squadron 14.550
Strategic Air Forces Command, is responsible for the air force's nuclear strike units, as well as the tanker / strategic transport aircraft.
* Command HQ, based at Vélizy-Villacoublay Air Base
* 4th Fighter Wing, based at Saint-Dizier – Robinson Air Base
** Wing Command
** Fighter Squadron 01.004 "Gascogne", tactical nuclear strike fighter squadron, flying Rafale B variant
** Fighter Squadron 02.004 "La Fayette", tactical nuclear strike fighter squadron, flying Rafale variant
** Rafale Conversion Squadron 03.004 "Aquitaine", joint air force – navy OCU flying Rafale B/C/M variants
** Aeronautical Technical Support Squadron 15.004 "Haute-Marne"
* 31st Aerial Refuel and Strategic Transport Wing, based at Istres-Le Tubé Air Base.
** Wing Command
** Aerial Refuel and Strategic Transport Squadron 01.031 "Bretagne", flying the Airbus A330 MRTT
** Operational Conversion Squadron 03.031 "Phénix", A330MRTT OCU
** Aerial Refuel and Strategic Transport Squadron "Esterel", presidential air transport with the Airbus A330
** Aeronautical Technical Support Squadron 15.031 "Camargue"
** Specialised Technical Support Squadron 15.093
Territorial Command of the Air and Space Army, Bordeaux-Mérignac Air Base, as an organic command, prepares units to fulfill operational missions. From September 2013, the former organic commands CFA and CSFA were merged into CFA.
* Air Force Firefighters Brigade, formed in 2021. It brings together the rescue and firefighting personnel of the Air Force into 25 units of around 1 500 personnel. HQ is in Cazaux Air Base ;
* Air Force Aerial Weapon Systems Brigade provides the maintenance and repair of aerial weapons and target systems.
* Air Force Maneuver Support Brigade provides the ground-based engineer and logistics personnel needed for the sustainment of air operations., based at Bordeaux–Mérignac Air Base
**Operational Support Air Force Wing 00.513, based at Bordeaux-Mérignac Air Base and formed on November 24, 2021, on the basis of the former Groupement aérien d’appui aux opérations.
***Wing Command
***Operational Infrastructure Squadron 11.513
***Operational Infrastructure Squadron 13.513
***Operational Infrastructure Squadron 15.513
***Expeditionary Training Squadron 17.513
**25th Air Force Engineer Regiment, army regiment permanently attached to the air force. Based at Istres-Le Tubé Air Base.
***2nd Operational Air Force Engineer Company, based at Mont-de-Marsan Air Base.
***4th Operational Air Force Engineer Company, based at Avord Air Base.
**Aeronautical Installations Air Force Groupment, based at Bordeaux-Mérignac Air Base
French Space Command, HQ at Toulouse Space Centre
* Operational Preparation and Employment Division, Hexagone Balard, Paris
* Space Operations Air Force Brigade, based at Toulouse Space Center. By 2025 the CMOS and the COSMOS will relocate to Toulouse Space Center as well. In preparation for this the French Air and Space Force has formed the military installation FA 101 on the premises of the space center.
** Space Operations Command and Control Center, based at Toulouse Space Center
** Satellite Observation Military Center 01.092 "Bourgogne", based at Creil-Senlis Air Base
** Operational Center for Military Surveillance of Space Objects, based at Lyon – Mont Verdun Air Base

The official designation of the service was changed in July 2019 from Air Army to Air and Space Army, when the previous joint Inter-Service Space Command under the French General Staff was transformed into the Space Command and absorbed into the Air and Space Force as its fourth command.
All air regions were disestablished on 1 January 2008. In the 1960s, there were five air regions. The number was then reduced to four by a decree of 30 June 1962 with the disestablishment of the 5th Aerial Region. The decree of 14 July 1991 reduced the air regions to three: « RA Atlantic », « RA Mediterranean » and « RA North-East ». On 1 July 2000 was placed into effect an organization consisting of « RA North » and « RA South ». The territorial division was abolished by decree n°2007-601 of 26 April 2007.
From 2008 to 2010 the French Air Force underwent the "Air 2010" streamlining process. The main targets of this project were to simplify the command structure, to regroup all military and civil air force functions and to rationalise and optimise all air force units. Five major commands, were formed, instead of the former 13, and several commands and units were disbanded.

Support services

The Directorate of Human Resources of the Air and Space Force recruits, trains, manages, administers, and converts personnel of the Air and Space Force. Since January 2008, the DRH-AAE groups the former Air Force directorate of military personnel and some tasks of the former Air Force Training Command. The directorate is responsible for Air and Space Force recruitment via the recruiting bureau.
French joint defence service organisations, supporting the air and space force, include:

The .
The , a 4700-person maintenance organization, internal to the French air force, in charge of 20% of the heavy maintenance of French armed forces, the other 80% being the responsibility of private aeronautics companies.
The "Air Commissariat" between 1947 and 2007, then "Financial and General Administration Service" from 2008 until 2009, and finally the "" since 2010, have successively been designated as administrative services of the French Air and Space Force. The Commissioners as well as Civilians of this service carry out : operations support, individual legal rights, judicial, internal control accountability, financial and purchase executions, and support and protection of the combatant.
Wings

Commanded by a Lieutenant-colonel or Colonel, the Escadre is a formation that assembles various units and personnel dedicated to the same mission. In 1932, the "regiment" designation was replaced with "Escadre", which until 1994 was a unit consisting of the following:

units generally equipped with the same type of aircraft or at least assuring the same type of mission
units of maintenance and support.

Escadres were dissolved from 1993 as part of the Armées 2000 reorganisation, were reestablished in 2014. The problems caused by having the aircraft maintenance units not responsible to the flying squadrons they supported eventually forced the change.
Four Escadres were reformed in the first phase:

31e Escadre Aérienne de Ravitaillement et de Transport Stratégiques at Istres-Le Tubé Air Base on 27 August 2014
36e Escadre de Commandement et de Conduite Aéroportée at Avord Air Base on 5 September 2014
Escadre Sol-Air de Défense Aérienne – 1er Régiment d'Artillerie de l'Air at Avord Air Base
the 3e Escadre de Chasse at Nancy-Ochey Air Base

In the second phase, the French Air Force announced in August 2015 the creation of six additional wings:

the 8e Escadre de Chasse at Cazaux Air Base
the 4e Escadre de Chasse at Saint-Dizier
the 64e Escadre de Transport at Évreux-Fauville Air Base
the 2e Escadre de Chasse at Luxeuil – Saint-Sauveur Air Base
the at Orléans – Bricy Air Base
the 30e Escadre de Chasse at Mont-de-Marsan Air Base.

Also established was the at Évreux-Fauville Air Base on 27 August 2015.
The French Air and Space Force announced in August 2015 that unit numbering, moves of affected aircraft, and the transfer of historic material would be completed in 2016.

the 62e Escadre de Transport was re-constituted at Orléans – Bricy Air Base on 5 September 2017, taking over C-130 Hercules|C-130 Hercules] operations from 61e Escadre de Transport so the latter could specialise in A400M Atlas operations.

Another air force wing was added on September 5, 2019:

the 33e Escadre de surveillance, de reconnaissance et d'attaque at Cognac – Châteaubernard Air Base, operating the air and space force's drone fleet.
Squadrons and flights

Commanded by a lieutenant-colonel, the Escadron is the basic operational unit. This term replaced that of Group as of 1949 with the aim to standardize usage with the allies of NATO who were using the term 'squadron'. However, the term Group did not entirely disappear: the term was retained for the Aerial Group 56 Mix Vaucluse, specialized in Special Operations or Group – Groupe de ravitaillement en vol 2/91 Bretagne which is still carrying the same designation since 2004.
A fighter squadron can number some twenty machines, spread in general in three Escadrilles. A Transport Escadron can theoretically count a dozen Transall C-160, however, numbers are usually much less for heavier aircraft.
The squadrons have retained the designations of the former Escadres disbanded during the 1990s. For instance: , which belonged to the 64th Transport Escadre during the dissolution of the later. Not all escadrons are necessarily attached to an Escadre.
The Escadrille has both an administrative and operational function, even of the essential operational control is done at the level of the Esacdron. A pilot is assigned to the Escadrille, however the equipment and material devices, on the other hand, are assigned to the Escadron. Since the ESTA came into being, material devices and the mechanics have been assigned directly to the base then put at disposition of the based Escadrons.
The Escadrilles adopted the traditions of the prestigious units out of which most, are those traditions of the First World War.

Fusiliers Commandos de l'Air

The Fusiliers Commandos de l'Air comprise:

Protection squadrons
Air Parachute Commando 10
Air Parachute Commando 20
Air Parachute Commando 30

Protection Squadrons protect airbases inside and outside the national territory, and in exterior operations as well.
The CPAs carry out common missions, as well as specialized tasks including intervention and reinforcement of protection at the profit of sensible points " air " inside and outside the national territory.

Air bases

Flying activity in France is carried out by a network of bases, platforms and French air and space defence radar systems. It is supported by bases, which are supervised and maintained by staff, operational centres, warehouses, workshops, and schools. Both in France and abroad, bases have similar infrastructure to provide standardised support.
The French Air and Space Force has, as of 1 August 2014:

Within the metropolitan territory of France, 27 airbases, out of the which 18 aeronautical platform with perceived runways and 5 Bases non-platform, two schools, 3 air detachments and " one attached air element ".
Beyond the metropole/Europe, 7 Aerial Bases or permanent detachments in overseas or country.

File:Rafale - RIAT 2009.jpg|thumb|A French Air and Space Force Dassault Rafale B at RIAT in 2009
Some French airbases house radar units to carry out air defence radar surveillance and air traffic control. Others house material warehouses or command posts. Temporary and semi-permanent foreign deployments include transport aircraft at Dushanbe, and fighter aircraft in N'Djamena, among others.
As swift as the French Air and Space Force operates, the closure of aerial bases is more constant and immediate, having known a strong acceleration since the 1950s. An air base commander has authority over all units stationed on their base. Depending on the units' tasks, this means that they are responsible for approximately 600 to 2500 personnel.
On average, a base, made up of about 1500 personnel, provides a yearly economic boost to its area of about 60 million euros. Consequently, determining the sites for air bases constitutes a major part of regional planning.

BA 105 Évreux-Fauville Air Base. Command, operational and logistic support. Air transport units with 27× CASA CN-235M, 9× Transall C-160 NG.
BA 107 Vélizy – Villacoublay Air Base. Helicopter and heavy air transport units.
BA 113 Saint-Dizier – Robinson Air Base 4e Escadre de Chasse, 50× Rafale B and Rafale C.
BA 116 Luxeuil – Saint-Sauveur Air Base. Air defence fighter base with 20× Mirage 2000-5F.
BA 123 Orléans – Bricy Air Base. Air transport units with 17× Airbus A400M Atlas and 18× Lockheed C-130 Hercules. CFPSAA operational command.
BA 133 Nancy – Ochey Air Base. Three strike fighter squadrons units with 70× Mirage 2000D, SAM sqns.
BA 279 Châteaudun Air Base. Airplane maintenance, repair and storage airbase.
BA 702 Avord Air Base. CFAS nuclear strike stockpile. AWACS 4× E-3F Sentry unit.
BA 705 Tours airbase. Fighter pilot training school were equipped with Alpha Jet. This school has been moved to BA 709 in 2020.
DA 273 Romorantin air detachment. Logistics unit.
BA 106 Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport. Transport support base for the air staff.
BA 115 Orange-Caritat Air Base. 6× Mirage 2000B-S5 and 12x Rafale B and Rafale C.
BA 118 Mont-de-Marsan Air Base. Home to 52× Rafale B and Rafale C. Home of CEAM, the Air and Space Force military experimentation and trials organisation, Air defence radar command reporting centre, and the air traffic control and air defence control training centre.
BA 120 Cazaux Air Base, situated South-west of the port city of Bordeaux. Fighter pilot training squadron equipped with 45× Alpha Jet. Air and Space Force airplane stockpile.
BA 125 Istres-Le Tubé Air Base. Two Transall C-160G strategic communication flight. Inflight refueling unit with 4× Airbus A330 MRTT. CEAM – the Air and Space Force military test centre.
BA 126 Solenzara Air Base. Fighter gunnery range. SAR unit.
DA 277 Varennes-sur-Allier. Air and Space Force supply depot. DA 277 was dissolved on 30 June 2015.
Air Base 278 Ambérieu. Logistic support base.
BA 701 Salon-de-Provence Air Base. Presentation Team equipped with 12× Alpha Jet. Officer instruction school. Enlisted instruction school.
BA 709 Cognac – Châteaubernard Air Base. Basic flight training school equipped with 17× Pilatus PC-21 and UAV squadron with 8× MQ-9 Reaper.
Air Base 721 Rochefort. Home of the NCO school, the École de formation des sous-officiers de l'armée de l'air.
BA 942 Lyon – Mont Verdun Air Base. Air defence radar command reporting centre. National Air Operations Command location.
EAR 943 Nice Mont-Agel. Air defence radar GM 406.
DA 204 Bordeaux-Beauséjour air detachment. Logistic unit.
EETAA 722 Saintes. Air and Space Force electronic, technical instruction also as Military basic Bootcamp.
EPA 749 Grenoble. Air and Space Force child support school.
Overseas
Réunion, Indian Ocean.
BA 188 Djibouti, Africa. Mixed units.
Air elements Libreville/Gabon.
Air elements N’Djamena/Chad. Mixed units.
BA 190 French Polynesia. Mixed unit.
BA 365 Martinique, West Indies. Mixed unit.
BA 367 French Guiana, South America. Mixed units.
BA 376, New Caledonia
BA 104 Abu Dhabi

More than ten bases have been closed since 2009. Doullens Air Base was a former command and reporting centre; Toulouse – Francazal Air Base, was closed on 1 September 2009; Colmar-Meyenheim Air Base was closed on 16 June 2010; Metz-Frescaty Air Base was closed on 30 June 2011; Brétigny-sur-Orge Air Base, closed 26 June 2012; Cambrai – Épinoy Air Base, was closed on 28 June 2012; Reims – Champagne Air Base ; Drachenbronn Air Base closed on 17 July 2015; Dijon Air Base, was vacated on 30 June 2016; Creil Air Base vacated on 31 August 2016; and Taverny Air Base, the former Strategic Air Forces Command headquarters.

Inventory

Aircraft

Satellites

Name	Origin	Type	Introduced	In service	Notes
Airbus Defence and Space / Thales Alenia Space CSO	France	Earth observation constellation	2018	3 satellites	Successor of the Helios 2 constellation CSO-1 launched in December 2018, CSO-2 in December 2020 and CSO-3 in March 2025 To be succeeded by a new generation optical intelligence constellation from 2028 onwards
Airbus Defence and SpacePléiades Neo	France	Earth observation constellation	2021	2 satellites	Successor of the Pléiades constellation Pléiades Neo 3 and 4 launched in April and August 2021 respectively 4 satellites originally planned but the Pléiades Neo 5 and 6 were lost in December 2022 as a result of the failure of Vega C flight VV22
Airbus Defence and Space Pléaides	France	Earth observation constellation	2011	2 satellites	Pléiades 1A launched in December 2011 and Pléiades 1B in December 2012 Still operational as of 2023
Airbus Defence and Space Helios 2	France	Earth observation constellation	2004	2 satellites	Successor of the Helios 1 constellation Helios 2A launched in December 2004 and Helios 2B in December 2009 Still operational as of 2023
Airbus Defence and Space / Thales Alenia Space CERES	France	Electromagnetic intelligence constellation	2021	3 satellites	All 3 CERES satellites launched in November 2021 To be succeeded by a new generation electromagnetic intelligence constellation from 2029 onwards
Thales Alenia Space / Airbus Defence and Space Syracuse IV	France	Telecommunication satellite constellation	2021	2 satellites	Successor of the Syracuse III constellation Syracuse 4A launched in October 2021 and Syracuse 4B launched in July 2023. 3 satellites originally planned but in April 2023, it was announced the first two satellites would be more than sufficient and that the last, Syracuse 4C, would be cancelled in favor of financing the European Union's IRIS² satellite internet constellation. It was also announced a program to develop the next generation of communications satellite constellation would be launched in the 2024–2030 French Military Planning Law to succeed the Syracuse 4A and Syracuse 4B satellites in the 2030s.
Thales Alenia Space Syracuse III	France	Telecommunication satellite constellation	2005	2 satellites	Syracuse 3A launched in October 2005 and Syracuse 3B in August 2006. Still operational as of 2023
Thales Alenia SpaceSicral 2	France Italy	Telecommunication satellite	2015	1 satellite	Launched in April 2015
Thales Alenia Space Athena-Fidus	France Italy	Telecommunication satellite	2014	1 satellite	Launched in February 2014
Galileo	Europe	Global navigation satellite system	2011	24 satellites	Being launched since October 2011

Air defense

Name	Origin	Type	Introduced	In service	Notes
Eurosam SAMP/T Mamba	France Italy	High to medium air defense system	2011	batteries	First French MAMBA squadron achieved operational status in October 2011 To be succeeded by the SAMP/T NG 12 SAMP/T NG batteries planned in total
[Crotale NG\|Thales Crotale NG]	France	Short range air defense system	1990	units	To be replaced by the VL MICA NG medium-range surface-to-air missile system 12 VL MICA NG batteries planned in total
Thales/CS Group PARADE	France	Modular counter-drone platform	2023	Unknown	Development led by Thales and CS Group 6 systems to be delivered to the French Armed Forces in 2023 15 systems planned in total, with full delivery to be completed by 2030
MC2 Technologies NEROD F5	France	Man-portable anti-drone jamming system	2020	Unknown	The NEROD F5 is a microwave jammer capable of disrupting and neutralizing all communication protocols used by drones. It neutralizes: the usual or improvised mini and micro drones by acting simultaneously on 4 remote control frequencies among 5 available the satellite navigation system of the targeted drone.

Surveillance systems

The Air and Space Force operates a wide range of air and space surveillance systems. Among them, the:

23 CM
ALADIN NGD tactical and air-transportable low- and very-low-altitude coverage radars
ARES
CENTAURE primary and secondary panoramic radars
GRAVES space surveillance system
Ground Master 406 and 403 AESA long-range air defense 3D radars
Ground Master 200 AESA medium-range air defense 3D radars
PAR NG new-generation precision approach radars
SAT 3D
SATAM
TRAC 2400 long-range two-dimensional electronically scanned radars
TRS 22XX and TRS 2215 three-dimensional long-range electronically scanned radars
Personnel

Since the end of the Algerian War, the French Air and Space Force has comprised about 17 to 19% of the French Armed Forces. In 1990, at the end of the Cold War, numbers reached 56,400 military personnel under contract, out of which 36,300 were part of conscription and 5,400 civilians.
In 2008, forecasts for personnel of the French Air Force were expected to number 50,000 out of which 44,000 aviators on the horizon in 2014.
In 2010, the number personnel of the French Air Force was reduced to 51,100 men and women out of which: 13% officers; 55% sous-officier; 29% air military technicians ; 3% volunteers of national service and aspirant volunteers; 6,500 civilians. They form several functions:
; Non-flying personnel
Non-navigating personnel of the French Air and Space Force include and are not limited to :,, Meteorologists, Administrative Personnel,, in Informatics, in Infrastructures, in Intelligence, .
; Flying personnel
Pilots,, , .

Training of personnel

, within their recruitment and future specialty, are trained at:

Officers of the French Air and Space Force are spread in three corps:

Air Officer
Officer Mechanics
, amongst which, officers of the are featured.

Non-commissioned officers are trained at:

de Rochefort
École interarmées for administrative specialists
at Orange-Caritat Air Base for the personnel concerned

having been trained until 1 July 2015 at the Center of Elementary Military Formation of the of Saintes. Since 1 July 2015, training has taken place at Orange-Caritat Air Base, within the " Operational Combatant Preparation Center of the Air Force ".
Air traffic controllers are trained at the Center of Instruction Control and Air Defense.