Mont-de-Marsan Air Base (French: Base aérienne 118 Mont-de-Marsan) (ICAO: LFBM) is a front-line

French Air and Space Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...

(Armée de l'air et de l'espace) (ALAE) fighter base located approximately 2 km north of

Mont-de-Marsan Mont-de-Marsan (; Occitan: ''Lo Mont de Marçan'') is a commune and capital of the Landes department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Population Military installations The French Air and Space Force operates the ''Constantin Rozan ...

, in the

Landes ''Landes'', or ''Lanas'' in Gascon, means moorland or heath. ''Landes'' and ''Lanas'' come from the Latin ''plānus'' meaning “‘flat, even, level, plain’”. They are therefore cognate with the English plain (and plane), the Spanish word '' ...

department of the

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by t ...

region in southwestern France. The airport is at an elevation of 203 feet (62 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 09/27 with an asphalt surface measuring 3,603 metres (11,821 ft) in length. The Air Base is home to two squadrons of

Dassault Rafale The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", and "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide ran ...

, the most advanced French fighter aircraft. The base includes Centre d'Essais des Matériels Aéronautiques - CEMA (the French air force military experimentation and trials organisation), an

air defense Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

command reporting centre, and an air defence control training site. The base is named after

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Constantin Rozanoff Constantin Wladimir Rozanoff, also known as Kostia Rozanoff, (russian: Розанов, Константин Владимирович; 23 August 1905 – 3 April 1954 was a French test pilot, a colonel of the French Air Force, and one of the pio ...

. The airbase was formerly home to France's first operational squadron of nuclear bombers, the

Dassault Mirage IV The Dassault Mirage IV was a French supersonic strategic bomber and deep-reconnaissance aircraft. Developed by Dassault Aviation, the aircraft entered service with the French Air Force in October 1964. For many years it was a vital part of the ...

A. Units: *

Escadron de chasse et d'expérimentation 1/30 Côte d'Argent Escadron de chasse et d'expérimentation 1/30 Côte d'Argent is a French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'air et de l'espace) Squadron located at BA 118 Mont-de-Marsan Air Base, Landes, France which operates the Dassault Rafale B, Dassault Mirage ...

with

Dassault Mirage 2000D The Dassault Mirage 2000N is a variant of the Mirage 2000 designed for nuclear strike. It formed the core of the French air-based strategic nuclear deterrent. The Mirage 2000D is its conventional attack counterpart. Development The Mirage ...

Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet The Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet is a light attack jet and advanced jet trainer co-manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France and Dornier Flugzeugwerke of Germany. It was developed specifically to perform trainer and light attack missions, a ...

and the

SOCATA TBM The SOCATA TBM (now Daher TBM) is a family of high-performance single-engine turboprop business and utility light aircraft manufactured by Daher. It was originally collaboratively developed between the American Mooney Airplane Company and Fre ...

700 *

Escadron de Chasse 2/30 Normandie-Niemen Fighter Squadron 2/30 Normandie-Niemen (Escadron de Chasse 2/30 Normandie-Niemen) is a French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'air et de l'espace) fighter squadron which flies the Dassault Rafale C from BA 118 Mont-de-Marsan Air Base. During a ...

with the

C *

Escadron de Chasse 3/30 Lorraine The ''Escadron de Chasse 3/30 Lorraine'' ("fighter Squadron 3/30 Lorraine") is a fighter Squadron of the French Air and Space Force (''Armée de l'air et de l'espace'') located at BA 118 Mont-de-Marsan Air Base which flies the Dassault Rafale C. ...

with the

References

{{authority control French Air and Space Force bases Buildings and structures in Landes (department) Airports in Nouvelle-Aquitaine