Luxeuil - Saint-Sauveur ( or BA 116) is a medium size

French Air and Space Force The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the French Air F ...

(Armée de l'air et de l'espace) base located near

Luxeuil-les-Bains Luxeuil-les-Bains () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté west of Mulhouse in eastern France. History Luxeuil (sometimes rendered Luxeu in older texts) was the Roman Luxovium and contained many ...

in the

Franche-Comté Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou dialect, Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; ; also ; ; all ) is a cultural and Provinces of France, historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of France, departments of Doub ...

region of France. It has two runways: 113/293 with a length of 2433m, and 038/218 with a length of 2315m.

Overview

The base is used exclusively by the Armée de l'air et de l'espace: * Escadron de Chasse 1/2 Cigognes (

Mirage 2000-5F The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single-engine, delta wing, fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was designed in the late 1970s as a lightweight fighter to replace the Mirage III for the French Air ...

) The two units are supported by: * DAMS (Dépôt atelier munitions spécialisées), Specialised Ammunition Storage, responsible for the nuclear strike alert facilities on the base. * Tactical Instruction Centre 00.339 Aquitaine, in charge of directing the strike squadrons in their low-altitude all-weather mission. * Air Defence squadron 04.950 Servance, responsible for anti aircraft defence. *

Fusiliers Commandos de l'Air The (English: Fusilier Commandos of the Air Force) of the French Air and Space Force are equivalent to the United Kingdom's RAF Regiment, German Air Force Regiment or the United States Air Force Security Forces. They are airmen armed and train ...

, responsible for security and ground defence.

History

The airfield was created for the French Aeronautique Militaire in early 1916, on military grounds. On 18 April, the "Escadrille américaine" n° 124 was formed under captain

Georges Thenault Lieutenant Colonel Georges Thenault () (15 December 1887 – 19 December 1948) was the commander of the Lafayette Escadrille – the famed branch of the French air force in World War I composed of American volunteer pilots. The Lafayette Escadri ...

's command, later to become Escadrille "La Fayette". The

Air Service, United States Army The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...

first set up a

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Arm ...

Infantry Liaison School in mid-1918, for which

99th Aero Squadron The 99th Aero Squadron was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I. The squadron was assigned as a Corps Observation Squadron, performing short-range, tactical rec ...

flew training missions from 1 July until 7 September 1918, before it joined V Corps Observation Group on

Souilly Aerodrome Souilly Aerodrome was a temporary World War I airfield in France, used by the French Air Service, and by the Air Service, United States Army. It was located south-southwest of Verdun, in the Meuse department in north-eastern France Fran ...

; during its Luxeuil's time, the squadron dispatched its 3rd Flight to French 33rd Corps Aviation, flying from Corcieux airfield 19–24 July, and from Dogneville airfield 27 July - 28 August. V Corps Observation Group was formed on 1 September 1918 in Luxeuil, but formally organized at Souilly Aerodrome on 7 September.

104th Aero Squadron The 104th Aero Squadron was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I. The squadron was assigned as a Corps Observation Squadron, performing short-range, tactical reconnaissance over the V Corp ...

had been flying from Luxeuil for the American V Corps since 8 August when it joined the newly formed group and followed its HQ to Souilly Aerodrome.Maurer, Maurer (1978), The US Air Service in World War I, The Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF Washington From 19 September 1918,

258th Aero Squadron The 258th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I. The squadron was assigned as a Corps Observation Squadron, performing short-range, tactical reco ...

(

VII Corps Observation Group The VII Corps Observation Group was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I as part of the First Army Air Service. It was later transferred to the Third Army Air Service as part of the United ...

) flew missions from Luxeuil Aerodrome; one Flight moved to Bourguignon airfield, near Sochaux, before the whole squadron moved in on 7 November. All those units flew tactical reconnaissance missions for the benefit of Army Corps, flying over the battlefield, reporting enemy troop movements as well as taking aerial photography and written observation of the area; artillery adjustments would also be made from the air. The airfield was also used by the French Aeronautique Militaire as a depot, until late 1919. From then on, it saw almost continuous activity until today, still being one of the main French Air Force airbases. Luxeuil was a previous nuclear-capable base, before that mission was removed in 2011. 40 Rafale F5 jets with

ASN4G The ASN4G (''Air-Sol Nucléaire de 4ème Génération'') is a French thermonuclear weapon, nuclear-armed, scramjet-powered, air-launched cruise missile, air-launched hypersonic cruise missile under development by MBDA, MBDA France, assisted by th ...

nuclear missiles will be stationed at this air base.https://www.twz.com/air/france-to-expand-its-nuclear-deterrent-with-new-air-base

Overview

History

References

External links