French Army Light Aviation
This article includes a list of general Général de division Bertrand Vallette d’Osia[1] since August 14, 2019. |
The French Army Light Aviation (French: Aviation légère de l’armée de Terre, ALAT, lit. 'Land Army Light Aviation' (the army is officially called the 'Land Army' because the air force is officially called the 'Air Army')) is the Army aviation service of the French Army. ALAT was established on 22 November 1954 for observation, reconnaissance, assault and supply duties.
History
In 1912, the French military aviation was formally incorporated into the French Army, alongside the four longstanding divisions of the French Army, namely infantry, cavalry, artillery, and engineers. As such it played important role in WWI in support of the army : observation, artillery guidance, bombing and strafing, etc. but it also proved the air to be a battleground in itself, prompting the detachment of
Since it has participated in almost all French military engagements and humanitarian aid deployments: the
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The use of armed helicopters coupled with helicopter transport during the Algerian War which could drop troops into enemy territory gave birth to today's tactics of airmobile warfare.[3] The machines of the nascent ALAT carried out a considerable number of missions against Algerian insurgents between 1955, when the Groupe d’Hélicoptères No.2 (GH 2) was created, and 1962 when the French empire in Algeria finally came to an end. GH 2 was based at Sétif – Aïn Arnat in the east of the country, and it was equipped primarily with machines to undertake transport missions, though the
From 1955 to 1962, GH 2 took part in the major battles, which occurred near the frontier between Algeria and Tunisia, including the battle of Souk-Ahras in April 1958. The helicopters, including types such as the H-21, the Alouette II, the Sikorsky H-19 and Sikorsky H-34, together aggregated over 190,000 flying hours in Algeria (over 87,000 for the H-21 alone) and helped to evacuate over 20,000 French combatants from the combat area, including nearly 2,200 at night. By the time the war in Algeria had ended, eight officers and 23 non-commissioned officers from ALAT had given their lives in the course of their duties.[citation needed]
After the American experiments coupling
In 1975, ALAT had 500
]Qualitatively, after delivery of orders, there are 360 light helicopters including 170 Gazelle reconnaissance helicopters 180 anti-tank which 110 Gazelle
Aircraft
ALAT is currently suffering from aging equipment and inadequate training of its crews, which has caused various incidents. According to a report of the
-
Gazelle and Puma
-
Eurocopter Cougar
-
Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter
Structure
Since July 2016 :
Commandement de l'aviation légère de l’armée de Terre - Army Light Aviation Command
Based in Vélizy-Villacoublay.
- 9e Régiment de Soutien Aéromobile ( 9e RSAM) - Airmobile Support Regiment in Montauban.
- Détachement avions de l'Armée de terre (DAAT) - Army Planes Detachment in Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande.
- fr:École de l'aviation légère de l'Armée de terre (EALAT) - Army Light Aviation School in Le Cannet-des-Maures and Dax.
4e brigade d'aérocombat - 4th Air-Combat Brigade
Based in Clermont-Ferrand. Former 4e brigade aéromobile.
- 4e Compagnie de Commandement et de Transmissions (4e CCT) - Command and Signals Company in Clermont-Ferrand
- 1er Régiment d'Hélicoptères de Combat (1er RHC) - Combat Helicopter Regiment in Phalsbourg
- 3e Régiment d'Hélicoptères de Combat (3e RHC) - Combat Helicopter Regiment in Étain
- 5e Régiment d'Hélicoptères de Combat (5e RHC) - Combat Helicopter Regiment in Pau
Other regiments
- 4e Régiment d'Hélicoptères des Forces Spéciales (4e RHFS) - Special Forces Helicopter Regiment in Pau part of French Army Special Forces Command
Other now dissolved regiments include the 2nd Combat Helicopter Regiment, the 4th Command and Maneuver Helicopter Regiment (4e Régiment d'Hélicoptères de Commandement et de Manœuvre), the 6th Combat Helicopter Regiment and the 7th Combat Helicopter Regiment.
References
- ^ Commandant de l’aviation légère de l’armée de Terre (COM ALAT)
- Libération(in French). Retrieved 5 June 2009.
- ^ helicopters during the war in Algeria, Military History
- ISBN 2-7025-1277-1.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ^ Notice of the National Assembly (number 280, Volume IV of the Finance Bill 2008 of 11 October 2007) (http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/13/budget/plf2008/a0280-tIV.asp P781_51984)
- ^ "White Paper on Defence and national Security," Volume 1, Part 2, p. 224.
- ^ Jean-Marc Tanguy (27 April 2009). "17 tiger opexables delivered on 30". the Mamouty. Retrieved 11 March 2009.