Strategic Air Forces Command

The Strategic Air Forces (FAS) (

The headquarters was formerly at

Initially, the Force de Frappe consisted of only of the 92 Bombardment Wing (Escadre), established in 1955 and operating 40

In May 1964, Genéral Marie, FAS commander, was replaced by Général Philippe Maurin, former commander of the Tactical Air Forces (FATAC).^[4] General Maurin later became French Air Force chief of staff in 1967.

The first alert by a Dassault Mirage IV armed with AN-11 bombs, and a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker was executed on October 8, 1964: from that point, a permanent alert was maintained.^[5] In addition, the French aircraft carrier Verdun was envisaged to have deployed bomber aircraft at sea.

In April 1965, an intermediate-range ballistic missile launch base, part of the Strategic Air Forces was established. It was set up on the plateau d'Albion, Air Base 200 Apt-Saint-Christol (French: base aérienne 200 Apt-Saint-Christol) and equipped with underground launch missile silos. It was operational from August 2, 1971, until dismantling on September 16, 1996.^[5]

In the spring of 1966, the deterrent force reached the strength of nine squadrons. In 1973, this deterrence force comprised 60 Mirage IV spread out among nine bases in metropolitan France.

The Mirage IV-P version armed with the

From 1963 - 2007, the Strategic Air Forces were 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 built 50 meters under the ground, with a fallout shelter destined for the executive power in case of nuclear war; this command post was in full use in 1967.^[6] In 1968, CFAS headquarters was located at Taverny Air Base (BA 921) under the Montmorency Forest.

In 1968, at the peak of the highest alert phases, 62

• 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,^[9] 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
  Orange. Later redesignated « EB 3/91 Cévennes », the Escadron/Squadron was dissolved in 1983.^[10]
• 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^[10] at Aerial Base 116 Luxeuil-Saint Sauveur (BA 116) at Luxeuil
• Instruction Center of Strategic Air Forces 328 (
  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). BA 200 was created in April 1967 under the Plateau d'Albion.

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,^[11] 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 1985, CFAS had two squadrons of

In 2008, 60 Mirage 2000N of the Strategic Air Forces were stationed at two airbases.

In 2014, the Strategic Air Forces comprise two nuclear squadrons with more than 43 aircraft, numbering around 1400 personnel:^[14]

• 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.^[15]
• 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.

The Mirage 2000N was planned to be retired from service in September 2018, with the La Fayette Squadron converting to Rafale B. Both fighter squadrons were to be stationed at Saint-Dizier – Robinson Air Base in order to improve 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.^[16]

The

Between 1986 and 1989, the numerous

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