French air defense radar systems
Encyclopedia
The French
air defence organisation is integrated in the military Armée de l’Air (ALA), the French Air Force
.
The defence of the French national airspace has always been based on 2 main aspects:
In peacetime, the air defence and air operations command develops and evaluates all possible classic assets of air operations in all kinds of theatres. In times of crises or at war, the air defence and air operations command is responsible for all offensive and defensive air operations.
The Commandement de la défense aérienne et des opérations aériennes (CDAOA) is the air defence and air operations command, and has the following primary missions:
CDAOA secondary, peacetime, missions are:
In case of need the main CDAOA functions will always be guaranteed on all theatres by the activation of air, ground or sea mobile detection units of all French armed forces. These units may be deployed at any time to support the fixed operational systems.
The CCOA, is located in an underground facility on Taverny Air Base
(Base aérienne 921 ‘Frères Mahe’) near the town of Taverny
. In radiotraffic it uses the tactical callsign (tacticall) “Veilleur’
There are 5 fully operational CDC’s in the new ALA structure. These command & reporting centres are
The former CDC 05.902 located on airbase 902 at Contrexéville
and the former CDC located on air detachement 922 at Doullens
have been deactivated and transformed into radiocommunications and satellite control stations. Although their infrastructure is still present and conserved the radarstations are not operational anymore.
36th Escadre de détection aéroportée (36 EDA), becoming operational in 1990 and equipped with 4 E-3F AWACS planes during 1990-1992.
Escadron de détection aéroportée (EDA 01.036) Berry and EDA 02.036 Nivernais are the 2 operational E-3F squadrons
Escadron de préparation des missions et simulation(ESMT 10.036) and Escadron de soutien technique spécialisé(ESTS 15.036), the mission supporting and the technical maintenance squadrons.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
air defence organisation is integrated in the military Armée de l’Air (ALA), the French Air Force
French Air Force
The French Air Force , literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933...
.
- the peacetime security of the French airspace. This assignment is executed according to the fixed conditions of the French prime minister collaborating with the ministers of transport, foreign affairs, industrial, postal and communication services, interior management and colonial management.
- the national military air defence consisting of all defensive and counteroffensive measures against eventual aggressors.
In peacetime, the air defence and air operations command develops and evaluates all possible classic assets of air operations in all kinds of theatres. In times of crises or at war, the air defence and air operations command is responsible for all offensive and defensive air operations.
The Commandement de la défense aérienne et des opérations aériennes (CDAOA) is the air defence and air operations command, and has the following primary missions:
- to decelerate and to evaluate any possible threats for the country by controlling the French and surrounding airspace by radar
- to present an actual airpicture on a 24/7 basis to all civilian and military authorities on which strategic decisions may be made
- to secure the airsuperiority in the national airspace at all times
- to prevent or to stop the use of the national airspace by any kind of aggressor
- to alert all civilian and military authorities in case of surprise air attacks
CDAOA secondary, peacetime, missions are:
- to command and control all military air traffic in cooperation with the civilian air traffic under authority of the minister of transport
- to command and control all search and rescue operations in case of civilian or military air accidents
In case of need the main CDAOA functions will always be guaranteed on all theatres by the activation of air, ground or sea mobile detection units of all French armed forces. These units may be deployed at any time to support the fixed operational systems.
System elements
- STRIDA (Système de Traitement et de Représentation des Informations de Défense Aérienne, lit. "System for processing and representing air defence information") is the radar itself. They equip the CDAOA, the CCOA, the CDC’s and the UDA
- PALMIER. are 3-dimensional and 2-dimensional radars in the 23 cm wavelength. They feed information to the CDCs, which exchange their radar inputs from the other CDC’s, from foreign allied NATO CRC’s and from the E-3F and E-2C planes to complete the situation awareness.
- VISU- IV/ -V are computerised workspaces manned by military controllers, that can be operated in control mode or surveillance mode. A senior controller is always in charge of supervising the operators. The VISU- IV/ -V equip the CDCs and UDA.
- METEOR and ETEC are radio and datalink communication systems. They constitute the primary means of transmission, though telephone and radio transmissions may also be sent via other specific sources in the defence network, such as Socrate or MTBA, or even through the installations of France TélécomFrance TélécomFrance Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
.
Air defence chain of command
The operational air defence chain of command consist of 3 main parts.- The Centre de Conduite des Opérations Aériennes (CCOA), the air operations command and control centre where the overall air picture is generated and evaluated, is responsible for all air operations and for the security of the French airspace. This military authority is directly under the French president Mr. Sarkozy.
The CCOA, is located in an underground facility on Taverny Air Base
Taverny Air Base
rightTaverny Air Base is located in the communities of Taverny and Bessancourt in the Val d'Oise département of France, twenty kilometers north of Paris...
(Base aérienne 921 ‘Frères Mahe’) near the town of Taverny
Taverny
Taverny is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Inhabitants are called Tabernacians.-History:...
. In radiotraffic it uses the tactical callsign (tacticall) “Veilleur’
- The Centres de Détection et de Contrôle (CDC), the control & reporting centres are placed in the commandstructure of the Commandement Air des Systèmes de Surveillance, d’Information et de Communications (CASSIC) and are the subordinating units to the CDAOA.
There are 5 fully operational CDC’s in the new ALA structure. These command & reporting centres are
- CDC 05.901 Drachenbronn located on Drachenbronn Air BaseDrachenbronn Air BaseDrachenbronn Air Base of the French Air Force is located in the community of Drachenbronn-Birlenbach in the Bas-Rhin département. It houses the Centre de détection et de contrôle 05/901....
(Base aérienne 901 ‘Capitaine de Laubier) at the town of BirlenbachBirlenbachBirlenbach is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Lahn, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany....
with the tactical “Riesling radar”. - CDC 05.942 Lyon/Mont Verdun located on Lyon - Mont Verdun Air BaseLyon - Mont Verdun Air BaseLyon - Mont Verdun Air Base is located to the northwest of Lyon. It is a duplicate of the headquarters of the French Air Force nuclear strike force at Taverny Air Base - BA921 near Paris, with an underground command center....
(Base aérienne 942 ‘Capitaine Robert’) at the city of LyonLyonLyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
with the tactical “Rambert radar”. - CDC 05.943 Nice/Mont Agel located on Nice Air BaseNice Air BaseNice Air Base of the French Air Force is divided between two sites: one at the summit of Mont Agel near Nice in the Alpes-Maritimes département, and the other at Gardanne in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. The Mont Agel base uses the facilities of the former Ouvrage Mont Agel of the Alpine Line...
(Base aérienne 943 ‘Capitaine Auber’) at the town of Roquebrune-Cap Martin with the tactical “Rhodia radar”. - CDC 04.930 Mont-de-Marsan located on Mont-de-Marsan Air Base (Base aérienne 118 ‘Colonel Rozanoff’) north of Mont-de-MarsanMont-de-MarsanMont-de-Marsan is a commune and capital of the Landes department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.Mont-de-Marsan airbase « Constantin Rozanoff » is a major installation of the French Air Force. The base includes CEAM , an air defense radar command reporting centre, and an air defence control...
city with the tactical “Marina radar”. - CDC 07.927 Cinq-Mars la Pile is an air detachment of Tours - Saint-Symphorien Air Base (Base aérienne 705 ‘Commandants Tulasne’) at ToursToursTours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
with the tactical “Raki radar”.
The former CDC 05.902 located on airbase 902 at Contrexéville
Contrexéville
Contrexéville is a commune of north-eastern France, in the Vosges département. Inhabitants are called Contrexévillois.The reputation of Contrexéville as a health resort dates from 1864, when development began by a company, the Société des Eaux de Contrexéville.-Twin towns:Contrexéville is twinned...
and the former CDC located on air detachement 922 at Doullens
Doullens
Doullens is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.Its inhabitants are called Doullennais and Doullennaises.-Geography:...
have been deactivated and transformed into radiocommunications and satellite control stations. Although their infrastructure is still present and conserved the radarstations are not operational anymore.
- The Unité de détection aéroportée (UDA), the French airborne early warning (AWACS) unit located on airbase 702 ‘Cne Georges Madon’ near the town of AvordAvordAvord is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre region of France.-Geography:A farming area comprising the village and several hamlets situated by the banks of the river Yèvre, some east of Bourges at the junction of the D976 with the D36 and the D71 roads...
with the unit tactical "Cyrano". This airborne early warning unit, has been created in 1989 on the Avord airbase and consists of
36th Escadre de détection aéroportée (36 EDA), becoming operational in 1990 and equipped with 4 E-3F AWACS planes during 1990-1992.
Escadron de détection aéroportée (EDA 01.036) Berry and EDA 02.036 Nivernais are the 2 operational E-3F squadrons
Escadron de préparation des missions et simulation(ESMT 10.036) and Escadron de soutien technique spécialisé(ESTS 15.036), the mission supporting and the technical maintenance squadrons.