page_title: French Air Force
section_title: Training of personnel
hierarchical_section_title: French Air Force / Personnel / Training of personnel
caption_attribution_description: English: Cadets of the École de l'Air (French Air Force academy) during the 2007 military parade on the Champs-Élysées. Français&#160;: Élèves de l'École de l'air pendant le défilé du 14 juillet 2007 sur les Champs-Élysées.
context_page_description: The French Air Force 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, and then made an independent military arm in 1934. The number of aircraft in service with the French Air Force varies depending on the source, however sources from the French Ministry of Defence give a figure of 658 aircraft in 2014. The French Air Force has 225 combat aircraft in service, with the majority being 117 Dassault Mirage 2000 and 108 Dassault Rafale. As of early 2017, the French Air Force employs a total of 41,160 regular personnel. The reserve element of the air force consisted of 5,187 personnel of the Operational Reserve.
  The Chief of Staff of the French Air Force is a direct subordinate of the Chief of the Defence Staff.
  President Emmanuel Macron has stated the intent to rename the French Air Force into the Air and Space Force, in recognition of the increasing importance of the space domain.
context_section_description: Officers, within their recruitment and future specialty, are trained at:
  École de l'air (French: École de l'air) (Air School) de Provence;
  École Militaire de l'Air (French: École militaire de l'air) (Military Air School);
  École des commissaires des armées (French: École des commissaires des armées) (Commissioners Armies School);
  École de pilotage de l'Armée de l'air (French: École de pilotage de l'Armée de l'air) (Piloting School of the French Air Force);
  École de l'aviation de transport (French: École de l'aviation de transport) (Aviation Transport School);
  École de l'aviation de chasse (French: École de l'aviation de chasse) (Aviation Hunter Fighter Pilot School);
  École de transition opérationnelle (French: École de transition opérationnelle) (Operational Transition School).
  Officers of the French Air Force are spread in three corps:
  Air Officer (French: Officiers de l'air);
  Officer Mechanics (French: Officiers Mécaniciens);
  Aerial Base Officer (French: officiers des bases de l'air), amongst which, officers of the Air Parachute Commandos (French: Commandos parachutistes de l'air) are featured.
  Sous-Officiers are formed at:
  École de formation des sous-officiers de l'Armée de l'air (French: École de formation des sous-officiers de l'Armée de l'air) (EFSOAA) de Rochefort;
  École interarmées (French: École interarmées) (Inter-arm School) for administrative specialists;
  Escadron de formation des commandos de l'air (French: Escadron de formation des commandos de l'air) (EFCA) of Aerial Base 115 Orange-Caritat (French: Orange-Caritat) for concerned specialists;
  Military Air Technicians (French: militaires techniciens de l’air) having been trained until 1 July 2015 at the Center of Elementary Military Formation (French: " Centre de formation militaire élémentaire ") of the Technical Instruction School of the French Air Force (French: École d'enseignement technique de l'Armée de l'air) of Saintes. Since 1 July 2015, training has taken place at Orange-Caritat Air Base (BA 115), within the " Operational Combatant Preparation Center of the Air Force " (French: Centre de préparation opérationnelle du combattant de l'Armée de l'air).
  Air traffic controllers are trained at the Center of Control Instruction and Aerial Defense (French: Centre d'Instruction du Contrôle et de la Défense Aérienne).
caption: Students of the École de l'air (Air School) during the military parade of July 14th in 2007 on the Champs-Élysées
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