French Air Force Fighters Conduct Final Combat Mission in Afghanistan

The French combat aircraft detachment, comprising a hundred airmen and three Mirage 2000D tactical fighters, conducted its last mission in Afghanistan before being withdrawn in the coming days. 


At 9:45 in the morning, the two Mirage 2000Ds flew on an escort mission in support of a coalition convoy in Farah province in western Afghanistan. The mission took place as planned, and the aircraft returned to base at around 14:00.


To symbolically mark the final returning from a mission, a parade was organized at KAF (Kandahar airfield), commanded by Lt. Gen. Olivier de Bavinchove, the French commander in Afghanistan and ISAF chief of staff. General Huggins (commanding Regional Command South), and General Sherzai, representing the Afghan National Army, testified to the excellent work and commitment of the French detachment, which was present in full. Lieutenant General Anthony Noguier air, the commander CDAOA (French AF Air Defense and Air Operations Command) was also present to salute the airmen’s work. 

French air force combat aircraft have been engaged in Afghanistan since October 23, 2001, initially for reconnaissance missions. They began operating from a country in the Persian Gulf, then moved to Manas, to Dushanbe, where the detachment gained permanent status, from 2006, before being redeployed to Kandahar in September and October 2007. 


For nearly five years that this detachment is present in Kandahar, it operated several different types of aircraft, including the Mirage 2000D, Mirage F1 CR, Rafale and, in 2008, a detachment of Super Etendard Modernisés shipborne fighters from the Aéronavale naval air force. These aircraft have conducted all types of aerial missions, including support, reconnaissance, and itinerary or area surveillance in favor of coalition troops and Afghan soldiers. 

The aircraft have flown, approximately 7,200 sorties, logged more than 26,000 flight hours, and carried out 12,700 in-flight refuelings. The French aircraft intervened about 1,700 times to support ground troops under fire from insurgents, with more than 1500 shows of presence and more than 380 weapon engagements (gun-passes or bombs launchings).


Initially, the detachment comprised six aircraft and about 200 airmen. As part of the early French disengagement, it was reduced to 3 aircraft in late 2011. Continuing this disengagement, the return to France of the last 3 Mirage 2000Ds is expected in the coming days. The full logistical disengagement from the rest of the detachment will take several weeks.


The French air force remains committed to supporting French troops, especially with a Caracal helicopter in Kabul and JTAC teams that guide air support in Kapisa and Surobi provinces. French air force officers also serve in the various staffs of the ISAF.