French Army Light Aviation The French Army Light Aviation ( , literally Light Aviation of the Land Army ) is the Army aviation service of the French Army . ALAT was established on 22 November 1954 for observation , reconnaissance , assault and supply duties . History . Since its creation in 1954 , it has participated in almost all French military engagements and humanitaire aid deployments : the French Indochina War , the Algerian War , the Persian Gulf War of 1990 - 91 , the Lebanese conflict , the war in Chad , the independence of Djibouti , the War in Somalia , operations in Bosnia - Herzegovina , the Kosovo War , the Indoneisan occupation of East Timor , the Operation Licorne in Cote d ' Ivoire , the humanitarian response to the December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami , the War in Afghanistan , 2011 military intervention in Libya . However , the concept of aerial artillery support is much older : military aviation , which appeared very early in the First World War , and its role was only observation , and subsequent guidance of artillery . The first highlight of this new weapon , whose contribution may have been decisive , took place on 3 September 1914 , when squadron REP 15 observation airplanes , attached to the Sixth Army under Maunoury ) , realized that " the columns of Kluck spin to the south - east [ . . . ] . There can be no question of a serious attack to Paris . " The hope was reborn in the French camp , reinforced by consistent reports of the British Expeditionary Force aircraft . In the hours following , airmen meticulously locate the different Imperial German Army corps . A gap formed between the First Army ( Von Kluck ) and Second Army ( von Bülow ) . Reports were submitted to Joffre , who decides to take without further delay of this possibility . On 6 September 1914 , the First Battle of the Marne began , and the German advance was cut short . The use of armed helicopters coupled with helicopter transport during the Algerian War can drop troops into enemy territory gave birth to the tactics of airmobile warfare continues today . The machines of the nascent ALAT were the ones to carry out a considerable number of missions against Algerian insurgents between 1955 , when the " Groupe d ’ Hélicoptères " No . 2 ( GH 2 ) was created , and 1962 when the French empire in Algeria finally came to an end . GH 2 was based at Sétif - Aïn Arnat in the east of the country , and it was equipped primarily with machines to undertake transport missions , though the Vertol H - 21C , nicknamed the " Banane volante " ( “ Flying Banana ” ) because of its silhouette , would soon join the unit owing to concerns about the lack of machines which could both defend themselves and carry out offensive missions against the insurgents . Acquiring these machines lay in the hands of the licensee Piasecki given France ’ s urgent need to have them on account of the circumstances . Usually , the H - 21 could carry up to 18 troops , yet local operating ( as well as climatic ) conditions decreed that the French army examples could carry only up to around 12 troops each . In two years , GH 2 received the vast majority of the H - 21s acquired by ALAT , which consisted of five squadrons by the end of 1958 . A sixth squadron from the French naval air arm , the " Aéronautique navale " , had operated with GH 2 for little more than a year . From 1955 to 1962 , GH 2 took part in the major battles , which occurred near the frontier between Algeria and Tunisia , including the battle of Souk - Ahras in April 1958 . The helicopters , including types such as the H - 21 , the Alouette II , the Sikorsky H - 19 and Sikorsky H - 34 , together aggregated over 190 , 000 flying hours in Algeria ( over 87 , 000 for the H - 21 alone ) and helped to evacuate over 20 , 000 French combatants from the combat area , including nearly 2 , 200 at night . By the time the war in Algeria had ended , eight officers and 23 non - commissioned officers from ALAT had given their lives in the course of their duties . After the American experiments coupling attack helicopter s with anti - tank missile s during the last phases of the Vietnam War , and during NATO maneuvers , the ALAT worked to create specialized units in this area to fight against the threat of armoured Warsaw Pact assaults . In 1975 , ALT had 500 officer s , 2500 NCOs and 3500 other ranks , or 2 % of the French Army . Quantitatively , its fleet is one hundred aircraft , Cessna L - 19 gradually retired and replaced by helicopters and 560 helicopters ( 190 Alouette II , 70 Alouette III , 130 SA . 330 Puma and 170 SA . 341 Gazelle plus 110 SA . 341 to deliver . Qualitatively , after delivery of orders , there are 360 light helicopters including 170 Gazelle reconnaissance helicopters 180 anti - tank which 110 Gazelle HOT ( these missiles entering service until 1978 ) and 140 utility helicopters Puma . ALAT flew 170 , 000 flying hours , including 11 , 000 at night . Aircraft . ALAT is currently suffering from aging equipment and inadequate training of its crews , which has caused various incidents . According to a report of the National Assembly of 2007 ' the potential of the primary aircraft has in fact decreased sharply since 2004 , with the decline to accelerate in 2008 . In 2005 , however , the ALAT has after a long wait his first Eurocopter EC665 Tiger , which are the first helicopter specifically designed for combat and developed in France , and including all 80 copies have been ordered to date to replace cannon and Mistral - armed SA341 Gazelle s . Delivery of 80 aircraft is expected to be completed in 2020 . On April 15 , 2011 , 30 helicopters were delivered to the ALAT , including 16 combat capable . Army Light Aviation Command ( COMALAT ) . The 4th Airmobile Brigade ( 4 Brigade Aéromobile ) had most of the ALAT ' s strength until it was disestablished in 2010 . The three line regiments now report directly to Land Forces Command . 1st Combat Helicopter Regiment . The 1st Combat Helicopter Regiment ( 1 Régiment d ' Hélicoptères de Combat ) ( 1er RHC ) is based in Phalsbourg with 22 Gazelle , 20 Puma and 14 Cougar . The 1st Combat Helicopter Regiment was created on 1 August 1977 , but traces its origins back to the 1950s . It carries the traditions of the 1st then the 21st Artillery Observation Groups which achieved particular fame during the First Indochina War , winning six citations . The 1st Aerial Artillery Observation Group was established on 20 novembre 1945 , and became the 21st Aerial Artillery Observation Group on 1 October 1950 . From 1945 to February 1946 it was stationed at Camp de Valdahon . It was dissolved on 31 December 1953 . That heritage is recalled by the inscription " Indochina 1946 - 1954 " carried on the standard which was solemnly presented to the regiment on 27 June 1980 . Camp de la Horie at Phalsbourg where the regiment is stationed was built on the basis of the former Phalsbourg - Bourscheid Air Base , vacated in the 1960s by the United States Air Force . The base was constructed by French workers for the Americans in 1953 . Cited in an army order , the régiment received the Croix de guerre des Théâtres d ' opérations extérieures with palm on 11 July 1991 . It has been awarded battle honours for Kuwait . In 1990 the 1st RHC took part in Opération Daguet in Iraq . It has also seen service in Chad , in Djibouti , en Somalie , in the former Yugoslavia , au Kosovo , au Timor , en Côte d ' Ivoire et en Afghanistan . The regimental motto is PRIMUS PRIMORUM ( Le premier parmi les premiers ) . Colonels of the 1st RHC : 3rd Combat Helicopter Regiment . The 3rd Combat Helicopter Regiment ( 3 Régiment d ' Hélicoptères de Combat ) ( 3e RHC ) is located in Étain with 33 Gazelle , 16 Puma . The regiment was created on 1 August 1977 . It is located on the Étain - Rouvres Air Base , formerly known as the USAFE Étain - Rouvres Air Base . The regiment is heir by descent of the Aviation Platoon of the 9th Colonial Infantry Division , later transformed into the 3rd , then 23rd Aerial Artillery Observation Group ( GAOA ) . On 3rd RHC ' s banner inscribed " Indochina 1947 - 1954 " , the colors of the ribbon of the Médaille militaire , with the olive - colored ribbon of the Military Cross for overseas operations and six citations . The 23rd GAOA totalled 34 , 500 flight hours . Today the regiment consists of 11 squadrons : Other regiments . Other now dissolved regiments include the 2nd Combat Helicopter Regiment , the 6th Combat Helicopter Regiment , the 7th Combat Helicopter Regiment and the 4th Combat and Airmobile Helicopter Regiment .