Air force ground-to-air defense assets - Le Centre de Doctrine d ...

History of the contemporary anti-aircraft defense
within the Air Force
For the Air Force, the protection of the Air Force bases, where
strategic Air Force units were located, was a priority, resulting
from the above-mentioned directives. As early as 1977, it was
equipped with the following assets, by favoring assets'
complementarity.
✔ Short-range : Crotale 3000.
✔ Very short-range : 20-mm twin-barreled.
Procuring these weapon systems has led to the creation of two
types of units reporting to the Operational Assets component of
the stationing bases: the Ground-to-Air Missile Squadrons (EMSA),
the Air Defense Forces Command (CAFDA) management
squadrons, as well as the Ground-to-Air Defense Platoons (SDSA),
and the regional management squadrons. When the building-up
was achieved in 1985, 11 Ground-to-Air Missile Squadrons
(EMSA), and 34 Ground-to-Air Defense Platoons (SDSA), to which
Doctrine
Ground-to-air defense in the Air Force
by lieutenant-colonel Grysewski,
Head of the CASSIC ground to air defense branch
(Air Command for Communication, Information and Surveillance Systems)
IN THE AIR FORCE, THE GROUND-TO-AIR DEFENSE COMPONENT HAS BEEN RE-SET UP, ACCORDING TO THE MARCH 12, 1973
MINISTERIAL DIRECTIVE, WHICH RECOMMENDED TO EACH SERVICE TO ENSURE ITS OWN PROTECTION, SUPPLEMENTED BY FM
(= FRENCH TTA) 139 – DATED MAY 8, 1973 -, WHICH DEALT WITH GENERAL OBJECTIVES FOR PLANNING AND EMPLOYMENT
IN THE AREA OF AIR DEFENSE. IT IS RIGHT TO TALK OF REBIRTH, AS PREVIOUSLY THE AIR FORCE WAS TASKED TWICE TO
PROTECT ITS FACILITIES : BY AIR ARTILLERY GROUPS FROM THE END OF WWII (WORLD WAR II) ON THE ONE HAND, AND BY
NIKE HERCULES AIR SQUADRONS IN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY FROM 1959 TO 1966. BESIDES, A LARGE NUMBER
OF GROUND-TO-AIR DEFENSE UNITS KEEP CURRENTLY THESE SQUADRONS' TRADITIONS LIVING AND BEAR THEIR CRESTS.
IT IS NECESSARY TO GO BACK TO THE YEAR 1977 TO FIND THE FIRST GROUND-TO-AIR DEFENSE UNIT STATIONED ON AN AFB
(AIR FORCE BASE) AT ISTRES, WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE 01/950 "CRAU" GROUND-TO-AIR MISSILE SQUADRON ON
AFB 125. REORGANIZATIONS, MISSIONS' EVOLUTION AND PROCUREMENT OF MORE EFFICIENT PIECES OF EQUIPMENT HAVE
ENABLED THE AIR FORCE GROUND-TO-AIR DEFENSE TO BE RESTRUCTURED, MODERNIZED AND INTEGRATED INTO THE AIR
DEFENSE. THE EVOLUTION OF STRUCTURES, THE EMPLOYMENT DOCTRINE OF GROUND-TO-AIR ASSETS BY THE AIR FORCE, A
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF THESE ASSETS, AS WELL AS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ABOVE-MENTIONED DOCTRINE DURING LIVE
FIRING CAMPAIGNS ARE THE ISSUES THAT WILL SUCCESSIVELY BE TACKLED IN THIS ARTICLE.
Objectif Doctrine•N° 31•p.35
one Specialized Air Assets Maintenance and Repair Group
(GERMAS) was added, are the Air Force ground-to-air defense
system. Because of short-range and very short-range weapons
complementarity, it was decided to merge the units located on a
same Air Force base on January 1, 1987, to give birth to the
Ground-to-Air Defense Squadrons (EDSA), while moving the
Ground-to-Air Defense Platoons (SDSA) under Air Defense Forces
Command (CAFDA) management. At that time, the situation was
the following: a total of 36 units broken down into 13 Ground-to-
Air Defense Squadrons (EDSA), 19 Ground-To-Air Defense
Platoons (SDSA), and 1 Specialized Air Assets Maintenance and
Repair Group (GERMAS).
Thereafter, two successive restructurings led to the current size:
10 Ground-to-Air Defense Squadrons (EDSA), one ground-to-air
detachment in Djibouti, and one Specialized Technical Support
Squadron (ESTS); these units reporting to the Air Command for
Communication, Information and Surveillance Systems (CASSIC)
since June 1, 1994, when this organic command was set up.
Besides, the recent armed forces' reforms have been an
opportunity to transform units into 100 % all-volunteer ones units
and to adapt their sizes to the various systems' implementation
requirement, hence improving their efficiency.

The Air Force ground-to-air assets employment
commitment doctrine
Drafted in May 2000 by the Joint Staff in co-operation with the
three Services' components, the surface-to-air assets commitment
concept is as follows:
"Surface-to-air defense is an essential function, whose
mastering directly conditions the effectiveness of the
home territory's protection or the safeguard of an
operating force. It requires to resort to a dynamic
posture towards the evolution of the threat, of the
force's structure, as well as of its environment, within
a joint and multinational scope, by:
- integrating this requirement into the planning phase as
early as possible, without concealing the building-up
transitional periods;
- adopting a global approach within the air defense
framework of air defense under the authority of a
single command;
- searching for an optimal complementarity between the
systems, whose implementation's efficiency is directly
dependent on a real time and-outstanding information's
flow."
❖
The Air Force ground-to-air assets employment doctrine results:
� on the one hand, from the initial protection requirements of
nuclear air bases, thus reinforcing deterrence credibility;
� on the other hand, from the terms of the above mentioned
concept.
The Air Force does not consider ground-to-air defense assets
commitment, without being integrated into a global air defense
system, whose principle relies on a complementarity between the
manned air component and the ground-to-air weapon systems
connected to a common network, which is the Air Defense
Doctrine
Objectif Doctrine•N° 31•p.37
Information Display and Transmission System (STRIDA) for home
territory. Space management and coordination enable to avoid
blue-on-blue fires and to increase weapons' efficiency.
On that account, ground-to-air defense assets - placed under the
operational control of the air defense commander or of an
equivalent theater air autority take part in carrying out air
security active measures, among which commitment. These
assets' coherent commitment takes place within a logic of order
centralization. However, for clearly identified operational
requirements – in case of liaison breakdown towards higher
authorities – provisions for decentralizing orders are being set up
by the operational command in order to carry out the protection
mission continuity. Finally, the current squadrons do not
systematically carry out their missions on their stationing Air
Force base. As for every Air Force unit, Ground-to-Air Defense
Squadrons (EDSA) are mobile and self-sufficient combat units,
which are likely to protect any facility categorized as "defense
priority facility", either on the home territory or on an overseas
operation theater. Following the September 11, 2001 events,
current deployments within the framework of home territory air
security reinforcement are very concrete examples of the Air
Force implementation of this doctrine.
Air force ground-to-air defense assets
Initially, the complementarity of short-range and very shortrange
systems was sought after, and then a coordination
requirement for their implementation, as well as a delocalization
requirement came up, when facing the threat's evolution (new
stand-off weapon systems).
So, assets available to the Air Force to ensure its own ground-toair
defense can be described around three axes: short-range, very
short-range, and coordination.
� There are two short-range systems : the Crotale NG and the
Crotale 3000 EVA.
- Fitted with 8 VT1 missiles – with an 11 km range – the Crotale
NG is a single-unit weapon system developed to meet air threats
composed as well of fixed-wing aircraft flying at subsonic and
supersonic speeds, as of hovering helicopters.

This weapon system provides the surveillance, identification,
tracking and firing e functions on its own.
- The upgradel Crotale is an improved version of the initial
Crotale 3000: a firing platoon, composed of one acquisition
unit, which carries out watch and identification, connected to 1,
2 or three firing units, each equipped with 4 R440 missiles (with
a range of 8,5 km), and tracking and locating one target, as
well as one or two missiles.
� Three very short range systems: the Aspic, Tripod and twinbarreled
systems.
- The Aspic is an automated firing e unit implementing 4 Mistral
missiles with a 5 km range, fitted on a two-ax servo-controlled
turret and equipped with an optronic fire-control system (a
day-vision camera and a night-vision camera).
- The Tripod is a single-munition manpad system, which also
implements the Mistral missile.
- The 76T2 twin-barreled gun is a laying and fire-control
system, with a manual sight and an automatic extrapolation,
fitted with 20-mm shells. Its effective range is 1500 m.
❖
� Coordination is carried out by a fixed of removable automated
tactical cell, whose operational mission consists in coordinating
and optimizing the commitment of deployed ground-to-air
weapon systems, in coherence with the air defense
components. It is important to note that coordination can also
be established at the level of the very weapon systems, more
specifically between the Acquisition and Fire-Control Unit (UAT)
and the Crotale NG, or between the Acquisition and Fire-Control
Unit (UAT), the Crotale NG, and the Aspic, thus providing
pspecially interesting options for tailoring, survivability, and
discretion.
These highly mobile systems are broken down into the ten home
squadrons and the Djibouti ground-to-air detachment:
- Very short range assets and an automated Tactical Cell (CETAC)
are available to all squadrons;
Doctrine
Objectif Doctrine•N° 31•p.39
- Three squadrons are equipped with Crotales NG;
- Seven squadrons implement the Crotale EVA;
- The detachment is fitted with very short-range assets.
Within a squadron, operators - depending upon their training's
progress - are able to operate all the weapon systems.
❖
❖ ❖
Live firing campaigns carried out by the Air Force
In order to place the crews in front of the sophisticated
environment of the situations to which they are likely to be faced
- the Air Force ground-to-air live firing campaigns have
considerably evolved during these last years, shifting from firing
one missile towards one target to sophisticated scenarios,
implementing several weapon systems, whose simultaneous firing
actions towards many targets are monitored by an automated
tactical cell. According to the proposed scenarios, targets - each of
them engaged by a different weapon system - simulate a sample
group of various and modern threats, according their features
(low SER or SIR, swift or slow speed, dropping of infrared decoys
and chaffs).
On these occasions, the CASSIC endeavors to make full use of all
the capabilities granted by the systems that are fielded in its
subordinate units, and thus, to re-create a context as realistic as
possible in the trial centers. Its ambition is to apply the Air Force
doctrine, especially the coordination and complementarity
principles that cannot be ignored within of an air defense system
architecture; thus, the complete chain to gather clues and to
analyze the threat is being implemented: receiving the local air
situation worked out by a tactical control module, the automated
Tactical Cell (CETAC) coordinates the engagements of all the
weapon systems that are connected to it (Crotale NG, Crotale EVA,
Aspic or Tripod). Selectively, the airborne detection and control
provides its part, by forwarding an air situation to the MCT.

As a young branch, the Air Force ground-to-air defense has
reached the age of reason; in order to not regress, this adult will
continue to mature. Within a more or less near future, three
sections will characterize its inevitable evolution: the
improvement of current systems, the procurement of new
systems, as well as a foreseeable units' downsizing.
As far as the current weapon systems are concerned, introducing
tactical data links will open new horizons, which are still
unreachable currently; the integration into the air defense chain,
as well as systems' flexibility will be but strengthened. In parallel,
missile systems are regularly improved to meet threats'
modernization.
Doctrine
Objectif Doctrine•N° 31•p.41
By the year 2010, the Air Force will be fielded with a middle
range system, well fitted to the new threat's features. The Middle
Range Ground-to-Air/Land (SAMP/T) system will be a new
advantage for the applied doctrine.
Last, the arrival of the Middle Range Ground-to-Air/Land
(SAMP/T) system will result into a new units' downsizing, with a
global strength that will remain about the same as today, due to
the large number of fielded weapon systems. The whole of these
evolutions, the developped reflections, as well as the airspace
management and coordination strengthen the everlasting position
of a ground-to-air defense closely linked to the Air Force
employment within a coherent chain involving all the actors ■
LA COORDINATION DES MOYENS SOL-AIR DANS LA DEFENSE AERIENNE
COORDINATION OF GROUND-TO-AIR ASSETS IN AIR DEFENSE