Armee De L'Air

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The French Air Force, the Armée de l'Air (ALA), army of the air, is the air force branch of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909, it is the world's oldest air force.
The French Air Force operates a wide-ranging fleet of aircraft, fighters, transport aircraft, passenger transport and helicopters. It currently maintains some 560 aircraft. 150 comprise the air mobility force (CFAP) and include aircraft such as C-160 and the C-130 Hercules. The CFAP also includes 80 helicopters like the Super Puma and the Ecureuil. 330 fighter aircraft are incorporated into 19 squadrons with different missions. Finally, the French Air Force has a fleet of aircraft, including Alpha Jet, Xingu, Epsilon, and Tucano, to meet training requirements. These air assets are supported by ground units and a sophisticated infrastructure.

The Air 2010 concept allows for 300 fighters, mainly composed of the new generation multirole combat airplane Rafale.
As most modern defense organizations the French air force is reorganizing its commands, units and assets. This project to streamline the forces is called Air 2010, which is the year of the deadline of all transitions.

The main targets of this project are to simplify the command structure, to regroup all military and civil air force functions and to rationalize and optimize all air force units.

The solution to reach these aims seems to be changing the organization into 5 major commands, instead of the former 13, and to disband several commands and units. These are the future air force commands.
The organization of the ALA is based on having complete control of air operations and on flexibility in execution, both in peacetime and at war. As most modern defence organizations at the moment (2007) the ALA is busy reorganizing itself (see Future).
Many consider the Armée de l'Air to have been the first professional air force in the world. The French took active interest in developing the air force from 1909 and had the first WWI fighter pilots. During the interwar years, however, particularly in the 1930s, the quality fell when compared with the Luftwaffe, which crushed the French during the Battle of France.

In the post--WWII era, the French made a concerted and successful effort to develop a home grown aircraft industry. Dassault Aviation led the way with unique and effective delta-wing designs, which formed the basis for the Mirage series of jet fighters. The Mirage repeatedly demonstrated its deadly abilities in the Six-Day War and the Gulf War, becoming one of the most popular and well-sold aircraft in the history of military aviation along the way. Currently, the French Air Force is expanding and replacing. The French are awaiting the A400M military transport aircraft, which is still in developmental stages, and the integration of the new Rafale multi-role jet fighter, whose first squadron of 20 aircraft became operational in 2006 at Saint-Dizier.