Editor's Foreword

132 ThE MiliTary BalancE 2010
north Sea/channel
COMAR CHERBOURG
Navy 1 HQ located at Cherbourg
Pacific Ocean
ALPACI
Navy 1 HQ located at Papeete, PF
Air force 57,600; 8,400 (civilian); 5,800
reservists;
Flying hours 180 hrs/year
Air Forces Command 17,000
combat Brigade
fORCEs By ROLE
Multi-role 2 AD sqn (St Dizier) plus test and evaluation
at Mont-de-Marsan with Rafale F2-B/F2-C/F3)
Ftr 2 sqn with M-2000C Mirage and M-2000B
Mirage (Cambrai and Orange), 1 sqn with
M-2000-5 Mirage (Dijon)
FGA 3 sqn with M-2000D Mirage (Nancy), 1
composite sqn with Mirage 2000-C/Mirage
2000-D (Djibouti)
Recce 2 sqn with F-1CR Mirage (Reims)
EW 1 flt with C-160G Gabriel (ESM) (Metz)
OCU 1 sqn equipped with Mirage 2000B; 1 sqn
with Mirage Fl-B (Colmar)
EQUIPMENT By TyPE
AIRCRAFT 277 combat capable
MULTI-ROLE 51: 24 Rafale F2-B; 7 Rafale F2-C; 12
Rafale F3-B; 8 Rafale F3-C
FTR 74: 22 M-2000-5 Mirage; 52 M-2000C Mirage
FGA 88: 66 M-2000D Mirage; 22 F-1CT Mirage
RECCE 39 F-1CR Mirage*
EW • ELINT 2 C-160G Gabriel (ESM)
TRG 25: 8 F-1B Mirage*; 17 M-2000B Mirage*
MSL
AAM MICA; R-550 Magic 2; Super 530D;
ASM AS-30L; SCALP; Apache
BOMBS
Laser-guided: GBU-12 Paveway II
air Mobility Brigade
fORCEs By ROLE
Tpt heavy sqn with A-310-300; A-319; A-340-
200 (on lease)
Tkr/tac tpt 6 sqn with C-130H Hercules; C-130H-30;
C-160 Transall; Transall C-160NG
SAR/trg/tpt/
utl
7 light sqn with CN-235M; DHC-6 Twin
Otter; Mystère 20 (Falcon 20); Falcon 50
(VIP); Falcon 900 (VIP); TBM-700; EC 725
Caracal; AS-555 Fennec
OCU 1 sqn with SA-330 Puma; AS-555 Fennec; 1
unit with C-160 Transall
Hel 5 sqn with AS-332 Super Puma; SA-330 Puma;
AS-532 Cougar (tpt/VIP); AS-555 Fennec
EQUIPMENT By TyPE
AIRCRAFT
TPT 106: 3 A-310-300; 2 A-319 (VIP); 2 A-340-200 (on
lease); 5 C-130H; 9 C-130H-30; 42 C-160 Transall; 20
CN-235M; 5 DHC-6 Twin Otter; 4 Falcon 50 (VIP); 2
Falcon 900 (VIP); 12 TBM-700; Mystère 20
TPT/TKR 15 Transall C-160NG
HELICOPTERS
CSAR 6 EC 725 Caracal
SPT 36: 7 AS-332 Super Puma; 29 SA-330 Puma
UTL 45: 3 AS-532 Cougar (tpt/VIP); 42 AS-555 Fennec
air Space control Brigade
fORCEs By ROLE
Air Space 1 Surveillance & Control sqn with E-3F
Sentry; 1 Helios-2a satellite obs sqn (Creil)
AD 8 sqn with Crotale 3000, Crotale upgraded &
Crotale NG; 20mm 76T2; Mistral
Radar 5 (Control)
EQUIPMENT By TyPE
SPACE BASED SYSTEMS • SATELLITES
2 IMAGERY 1 Helios-2a (Creil)
AIRCRAFT
AEW 4 E-3F Sentry
AD SYSTEMS STRIDA (Control)
SAM Crotale 3000; Crotale upgraded and Crotale NG;
SATCP
GUNS 20mm 76T2
LAUNCHER Mistral
Security and intervention Brigade
34 protection units
33 fire fighting and rescue sections
3 intervention paratroop commandos
air Training command
Over 6,000 personnel
fORCEs By ROLE
Trg some sqn with EMB-121 Xingu; Alpha Jet; CAP 10;
EMB-312 Tucano; TB-30 Epsilon; Grob G120A-F
EQUIPMENT By TyPE
AIRCRAFT
TPT 23 EMB-121 Xingu
TRG 164: 91 Alpha Jet; 25 EMB-312 Tucano; 25 TB-30
Epsilon (incl many in storage); 18 Grob G120A-F; 5 CAP
10
reserves 5,800 reservists
DEPLOyMENT
Legal provisions for foreign deployment:
Constitution: Codified constitution (1958)
Specific legislation: ‘Order of 7 January 1959’
Decision on deployment of troops abroad: De jure: by
the minister of defence, under authority of the PM and
on agreement in council of ministers (‘Order of 7 January
1959’, Art. 16, Art.20-1 of constitution)