PJ Production 481116 French fighter pilot seated in a/ c 80s - 90s

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.