F TWO FRENCH PILOTS AND A MECHANIC FOR SPECIAL HOBBY MIRAGE F.1B MODEL

Since the end of the war in Algeria (1954-1962), the air force (fr. Armee de l'Air Francaise) were and continue to be recognized as one of the most essential elements of the French armed forces. During the Cold War, soldiers of this type of weapon constituted about 17-20% of the manpower of the entire French army. In 1990, the air force numbered approximately 56,000 in the line and 5,400 civilian employees. By 2017, however, this number had dropped to around 41,500 people. Currently, the non-flying personnel of Armee de l'Air include specialists in the field of servicing and maintaining the efficiency of aircraft systems (French mecanicien systeme aeronautique), air control (French controleur aerien), meteorology, administration or issues related to maintaining the efficiency of terrestrial computers. Most of these specialists, due to the high complexity of modern aviation equipment, undergo specialized training, often lasting several months. Educational institutions such as L'Ecole d'Enseignement Technique de l'Armee de l'Air (ETTAA) in Saintes or Center d'Instruction du Controle et de la Defense Aerienne (CICDA) - the latter institution is responsible for training military flight controllers.French Air Force (French: Armee de l'air), established as a fully independent type of armed forces in 1934. After the end of World War II, the French military aviation took part not only in many colonial conflicts (mainly: the war in Indochina 1946-1954 and the war in Algeria 1954-1962), but also changed rapidly. First of all, in the 1950s, it almost fully passed on to jet-powered planes, and thanks to the thriving, domestic aviation industry, it introduced many successful domestic aircraft, to mention such machines as Mirage III, Mirage F1 or Mirage 2000. At present ( more precisely - in 2017), the French Air Force numbered about 41,000 people and about 5,200 in the operating reserve. Currently, there are about 230 multi-role fighter planes in the line: Dassault Rafale and various versions of Dassault Mirage 2000. In addition, French aviation has extensive transport and early warning capabilities. In 2014, there were 27 air bases in France and a further 7 bases in overseas territories. At present, it is assumed that the French Air Force is one of the strongest in Europe.