The French Air and Space Force operated three Rafale fighters and two CASA CN235 transport aircraft from two civilian airports during its BASEX exercise. The exercise was held across France from September 23 to October 2, 2026, according to a statement the service published on October 13, 2026.
The deployments to Pau Pyrénées Airport (PUF) and Dinard Airport (DNR) were conducted under FRA-ACE, France’s adaptation of NATO’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept. FRA-ACE aims to generate air power from dispersed sites with minimal logistical support. The service said it was the second consecutive year it had carried out such deployments from civilian airports in France.
Agile Combat Employment addresses a fundamental vulnerability of modern air forces: the concentration of combat aircraft at a relatively small number of permanent bases, making them attractive targets for long-range strikes.
By dispersing aircraft across military and civilian airfields, air forces can complicate enemy targeting and preserve their ability to generate sorties even if their main bases come under attack. The concept relies on small, mobile support teams, reduced logistical requirements, and the use of existing local infrastructure.
Rafale jets at Pau, CN235 transports at Dinard
During the final week of September 2026, three Rafale fighters from the 30th Fighter Wing at Air Base 118 Mont-de-Marsan deployed to Pau with about 25 personnel. The team included pilots, mechanics and a protection detachment. The service said it deliberately kept the detachment small to test FRA-ACE under restricted conditions.
Crews flew training sorties from the airport. A deployable mobile support structure, known by its French acronym SAMD, provided on-site facilities for mission briefings and planning, allowing the detachment to operate autonomously. According to the release, the deployment tested two capabilities: how quickly combat aircraft could disperse from their home base and whether they could sustain flying operations from a temporary location.
In western France, two CN235s from the 64th Transport Wing at Évreux deployed to Dinard with around 30 personnel, including aircrews, mechanics and a protection detachment. The service said it reduced the logistical footprint to the strict minimum and relied on the airport’s existing services, notably for refueling.
The CN235 crews flew training sorties from Dinard, including an explosive ordnance disposal exercise and a joint drill with the airport’s fire and rescue services.
The service said it coordinated both deployments closely with airport authorities and operators to avoid disrupting normal flight operations and commercial activity.
France expands its dispersed air operations training
The first of these domestic deployments took place from September 23 to 25, 2025, when three Mirage 2000Ds operated from Metz-Nancy-Lorraine Airport (ETZ). That deployment was part of the 2025 BASEX exercise, which the French Air and Space Force’s Territorial Command conducts twice a year across French air bases.
A second round of deployments followed from March 31 to April 2, 2026, when two Airbus A400M Atlas airlifters operated from Châteauroux Airport (CHR), while two Mirage 2000-5 fighters deployed to Dole-Jura Airport (DLE).
FRA-ACE has also taken French fighters abroad. In January 2026, two Rafales from the ECE 1/30 test and evaluation unit deployed to Uppsala, Sweden, with around 30 personnel. In November 2024, Rafale detachments operated from Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany and Zagreb International Airport in Croatia.
The service has also rehearsed no-notice dispersal between its own bases. During the JADE drill on April 22, 2025, Mirage 2000D and 2000B jets from Nancy-Ochey relocated to five other air bases.
The ability to disperse fighters and sustain operations with limited ground support could also prove relevant to France’s forward deterrence posture, outlined by President Emmanuel Macron on March 2, 2026. The same principles could allow France’s nuclear-capable Rafale Bs to operate more flexibly from allied territory, reducing their dependence on a small number of established military air bases.