[PDF] france air force ww1

How many squadrons did France have in WW1?

SPAD S.XIII, the most numerically important French fighter At the start of the First World War ("La Première Guerre mondiale"), France led the world in an aircraft design and by mid-1912 the Aéronautique Militaire had five squadrons ("escadrilles").

What wars did the French Air Force participate in?

A North American T-28 Trojan, used against guerrillas during the Algerian War After 1945, France rebuilt its aircraft industry. The French Air Force participated in several colonial wars during the Empire such as French Indochina after the Second World War. Since 1945, the French Air Force was notably engaged in Indochina (1945–1954).

When was the French Air Service established?

Considered by many to be world's first air force, the French Air Service ( Aéronautique Militaire) was established on 22 October 1910 under the command of General Roques. France led the world in the design of early aircraft and by 1914 the French Air Service fielded 132 machines divided amongst 21 units ( escadrilles ).

When did the French Air Force become a military branch?

Formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the French Air Force. On 10 September 2020, it assumed its current name, the French Air and Space Force, to reflect an "evolution of its mission" into the area of outer space.