Knowledge Center of the Rafale; Mont de Marsan, May 17, 2019

The NATO Tiger Meet 2019, part 3; Text and Photograph's by Alex van Noye

Mont de Marsan is nowadays the most important knowledge center for the Dassault Rafale deployment in France. Operational experiments with this type and the Dassault Mirage 2000D are performed daily at the airbase. There are also a few operational units on Mont de Marsan that are all part of Escadron de Chasse 30.

The BA118 “Colonel Rozanoff” Air Force Base Mont de Marsan is not only a suitable airbase to host a large-scale exercise such as the NATO Tiger Meet. Mont de Marsan is nowadays regarded as one of the most important operational airfields of the French air forces. The airbase accommodates more than 66 operational units and accommodates more than fifty Dassault Rafale, Dassault Mirage 2000 and Dassault Alpha-Jet fighter aircraft. There are also a number of Socata TBM700 aircraft based on this airbase for connection and support tasks. The airbase and its training grounds are spread over more than five municipalities, including Mont de Marsan. The air force base is the most important employer in the Landes region. The aircraft of Mont de Marsan have often taken part in international deployments over the years and have meant a lot to the international coalitions. The current commander of BA118 Mont de Marsan is Colonel Cédric Gaudilliere. He started his career with the French Air Force as a Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) within Escadron de Chasse 3/4 "Limousin". As a WSO he was the back-seater in the Mirage 2000N where he was responsible for the weapons of the aircraft. It is not very often that a commander is not a pilot in France. Gaudilliere has also been the commander of EC01.091 on Saint-Dizier in the past. Among other things, he has flown missions in Afghanistan and has received various French service awards.

A very important body within the French Air Force is the Center d'Expertise Aérienne Militaire (CEAM) (Air Warfare Center). The decision to set up the CEAM was made by the French minister of aviation Pierre Cot by the decree of April 1, 1933. From that moment on, the CEAM was established at the French airbase Reims-Champagne. In Reims, experiments with aircraft and means for radio telegraphy and navigation began. The CEAM was active in North Africa during the Second World War, after which it settled in Mont de Marsan in 1945. Historically, the CEAM supports the General Staff

of the Air Force at every stage of the process of purchasing new equipment. The CEAM investigates the need for new material through operational experiments with aircraft and helicopters. The CEAM is often in contact with the manufacturers of armaments and aircraft manufacturers. The knowledge center is responsible for the development of new equipment based on operational expertise within the air force. The sharing of technical, tactical and operational expertise is aimed at broadly disseminating this knowledge among the various pilots on different types in France. The main missions of the current CEAM, are; the development of doctrines and feedback, participation in the definition of new equipment, practical experiments and security of training, support of the air force during operations through its centers of expertise, support of the operational preparedness of the units, leading exploratory studies on the future capabilities, the driving force behind the French Air Force operational innovation network and finally advising the military commanders in operational management.

BA118 Mont de Marsan is an important airbase for the French Air Force when it comes to innovation and the pursuit of the technological progress of the French fighter pilots. The airbase is currently a meeting of futuristic system expertise and to a large extent the showcase of the Rafale expertise program. In addition to the innovative tasks of the airbase, Mont de Marsan is also one of the most important airfields in the south of the country when it comes to the air defense of France. Colonel Cédric Gaudilliere is not only the commander of the air force base, but also the commander of defense and support base that consists of various joint and specialized support units. Since the phasing out of the Dassault Mirage F1 in 2013, the airbase has undergone a drastic reorganization. The reorganization ensured that more and more activities would take place at Mont de Marsan. Most activities take place around the deployment and improvement of the Rafale. Mont de Marsan has a long runway of over 3,600 meters and the airbase has the largest shooting range in France near Captieux with an area of over 10,000 hectares. In recent years, France has also sold the Rafale to countries such as Egypt, India and Qatar. The export contracts that have been signed also have an impact on Mont de Marsan, because this airbase in the Landes region is the first choice for the initial flight training of the foreign Rafale pilots. In the future, therefore, foreign Rafales may also fly from Mont de Marsan.

Since 2015, Escadron de Chasse 30 (EC 30) has been based on BA118 Mont de Marsan. This unit was based in the past on Colmar-Meyenheim in northeastern France. After the closure of this airbase, the unit with its Dassault Mirage F-1s was moved to Mont de Marsan. After phasing out the Mirage F1 in France, EC 30 has become fully operational at the Dassault Rafale. EC 30 is built up of three operational units with the Rafale and a maintenance unit. The first unit which is part of EC 30 is the Escadron de Chasse et d'Expérimentation 1/30 "Côte d'Argent". This unit is an experimental unit in the extended part of the CEAM and therefore flies with several types such as the Rafale B, the Mirage 2000D and the Alpha-Jet E. The aircraft of this unit are daily used to carry out the experiments conducted by the CEAM in an operational environment. The second unit which is part of EC 30 is Escadron de Chasse 2/30 "Normandie-Niemen". This unit comes from the closed airbase Colmar. This unit flies single-seat Rafales and is used in the multi-role for both air defense and offensive tasks. The third unit of EC 30 is also the host of the current Tiger Meet on Mont de Marsan. This unit is Escadron de Chasse 3/30 "Lorraine" and has only been flying with the Rafale since 2016. Lorraine is just like Normandie-Niemen equipped with the single-seat Rafale for the multi-role task.