French Air Force facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Armée de l'Air
Founded	1934
Country	France
Insignia
Roundel
Aircraft flown
Attack	Dassault Mirage 2000, Dassault Rafale
Electronic warfare	Beoing E-3F SDA
Fighter	Dassault Mirage 2000, Dassault Rafale
Interceptor	Dassault Mirage 2000, Dassault Rafale
Reconnaissance	Dassault Mirage 2000, Dassault Rafale, EADS Harfang,
Trainer	Grob G.120, SOCATA TB.30 Epsilon, Dassault-Breguet-Dornier Alpha Jet E, Eurocopter AS-555 Fennec,
Transport	Airbus A310, Airbus A340, Airbus A400M, Boeing C-135FR, Lockheed C-130H and C-130H-30, Transall C.160, Casa CN-235, Aérospatiale SA-330 Puma, Eurocopter AS-332 Super Puma, Eurocopter EC725 Caracal

The French Air Force (French: Armée de l'Air, literally Army of the Air) is the air force of France. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique de l'Armée, part of the French Army, and finally independent in 1934 in its current form. In 2013 it has an important fleet of aircraft.

Gallery

French air force bases

In France the air force bases are called Bases Aériennes or BA and have a number, like Base Aérienne 117 in Paris.

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  Paris air force base and his exposed Mirage III.

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  BA-273 at Romorantin.

Former aircraft of the French Air Force

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  Interwar period fighter plane Dewoitine D.510 of the French Air Force.

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  World War II fighter plane Republic P-47

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  Bloch MB-131, reconnaissance and bomber of World War II

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  World War II French bomber Bloch MB-162.

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  Former French Air Force bomber Douglas A-26 Invader used in Indochina war.

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  Former French Air Force reconnaissance aircraft ANF-Les Mureaux 113.

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  French Air Force former training jet Lockheed T-33.

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  French Air Force transport plane Bréguet 941.

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  Former VIP transport plane A319CJ

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  French Air Force fighter aircraft Mirage IIIE.

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  French Air Force former transport plane Caravelle.

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  Former fighter aircraft Dassault Mirage 5 of the French Air Force.

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  Nuclear bomber Dassault Mirage IV of the French Air Force.

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  spy plane DC-8 Sarigue.

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  Anglo-French attack plane Sepecat Jaguar.

Active aircraft of the French Air Force

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  Transport plane Airbus A310.

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  attack variant of the Mirage 2000, the Mirage 2000D seen here at the "break".

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  Transport plane Lockheed C-130H-30.

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  Alpha Jet of Patrouille de France, the famous aerobatic team.

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  Dassault Rafale C in Paris Air Show 2011.

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  Transport helicopter Eurocopter AS-332 Super Puma.

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  Training aircraft SOCATA TB-30 Epsilon.

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  Franco-German transport plane Transall C.160.

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  Training and light transport plane, built in Brazil, the Xingu.

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  VIP transport plane, used by French Prime Minister, the Dassault Falcon 900.

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  Electronic warfare plane, the Boeing E-3F.

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  Transport plane Casa CN-235M.

Images for kids

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  "Company of aviators", September 1914, by Jules Gervais-Courtellemont

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  French aircraft during World War I, flying over German held territory (1915)

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  Nieuport-Delage NiD.29 C.1 fighter used in the early post-WWI period.

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  Dewoitine D.510 monoplane fighters from the mid-1930s

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  A North American T-28 Trojan, used against guerrillas during the Algerian War

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  Mirage IIIC of EC 2/10 "Seine" pictured in 1980 armed with a Matra R.530

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  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.

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  Mirage 2000 in flight

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  Général d'armée aérienne André Lanata, former chief of staff of the French Air Force

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  Air bases in Metropolitan France

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  A French Air and Space Force Dassault Rafale B at RIAT in 2009

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  Crotale missile-launchers of the Air Defense Ground-to-Air Squadron of the French Air and Space Force

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  Orange-Caritat Air Base

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  Brétigny-sur-Orge Air Base

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  Fusiliers Commandos de l'Air at the opening of a war memorial

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  Side cap of the French Air and Space Force personnel

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  Students of the École de l'air (Air School) during the military parade of July 14th in 2007 on the Champs-Élysées

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  Mirage 2000C

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  Mirage 2000D

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  Rafale C

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  E-3F Sentry

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  Transall C-160R

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  A400M

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  A330 MRTT

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  C-130J

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  C-135FR

See also

In Spanish: Ejército del Aire y del Espacio (Francia) para niños