Istres Air Base
Encyclopedia
Istres-Le Tubé Air Base is a large multi-role tasked French Air Force base located near Istres
, northwest of Marseille
, France. The airport facilities are also known as Istres - Le Tubé (ICAO airport code
: LFMI).
(École du Personnel Navigant d’Essais et de Réception); test facilities for DGA
, Dassault Aviation
, SNECMA
, Thales
and some aeronautical units of the French Navy
. More than 5,000 personnel work on the base.
Secondary users occasionally include the United States Air Force
(USAF), during Allied operations engaging United States and France. During Operation Allied Force
, USAF KC-135s and U-2s operated out of the base. Istres was the home of U-2 detachment OL-FR (Operating Location-FRance). Istres was also utilized by NASA
as a contingency landing site for the Space Shuttle
in the case of a Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL). The base's runway is 3750 metres (12,303.1 ft) long and 60 metres (196.9 ft) wide, making it the longest one in Europe and thus suited to Shuttle landings.
of Kabo Air
, a Nigeria
n company, made an emergency landing
after a dangerous event almost unprecedented in the history of airliner flight. In turbulence
at 35,000 feet, engines 3 and 4 separated from the wing, along with flaps and control systems. With delicate operation of the remaining power and controls, the flight headed for Marseilles trailing fuel from broken tanks. Istres
air traffic control
called the flight to tell them they had visual contact. "How can you see us? We're still in cloud?" "You're on fire," came the reply. Abandoning Marseilles as a potential landing site, the pilots spotted part of the Istres
runway in a gap in cloud and performed a flapless, downwind landing with a touch-down speed of nearly 200 knots and a raging fire fueled by the remaining fuel load pouring from the right wing. The gear failed and the aircraft's ground slide took it off the far end of the runway
, but the crew of five survived and the cargo was saved. The incident brought to light cowboy practices among certain airlines — the 707
involved in the incident had passed mandatory maintenance and was overloaded.
, Istres Air Base was first used by the Armée de l'air during the early part of the war, and after the 1940 Battle of France
and the June Armistice with Nazi Germany, became part of the limited air force of the Vichy Government. It was attacked on several missions by Allied bombers based in England
while under German control after November 1942. It was seized by Allied forces during Operation Dragoon
, the Invasion of Southern France in August 1944 and was repaired and placed into operational use by the United States Army Air Forces
XII Engineer Command, being turned over to Twelfth Air Force on 27 August 1944.
The airfield was designated by the Americans as Istres/Le Tubé Airfield or Advanced Landing Ground
Y-17. It was also given the AAF designation of USAAF Station 196. Twelfth Air Force initially assigned the 324th Fighter Group
to the airfield on 2 September, with P-47 Thunderbolts. However the 324th only remained a few days before moving forward to Amberieu
on 6 September.
The main USAAF use of Istres was by the 64th Troop Carrier Group, which operated C-47 Skytrain
transports from the airfield from September to November 1944. When the combat units moved north into eastern France, Istres was used by Air Transport Command
as a transshipment point for supplies and Allied personnel, being administratively controlled by the 1411th Army Air Force Base Unit.
With the end of the war, the Americans used Istres as a staging point between Occupied Germany and Morocco
for air transport of personnel back to the United States. It was returned to full French control in October 1945.
Sometime after World War II, until May 1958 Base Aérienne 125 was host to the Royal Air Force
Liaison Party, that serviced transient British and Commonwealth military aircraft staging to and from the United Kingdom.
Istres
Istres is a commune in southern France, some 60 km northwest of Marseille. It is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture...
, northwest of Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, France. The airport facilities are also known as Istres - Le Tubé (ICAO airport code
ICAO airport code
The ICAO airport code or location indicator is a four-character alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. These codes are defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization, and published in ICAO Document 7910: Location Indicators.The ICAO codes are used by air traffic...
: LFMI).
Armée de l'air
The user of the base is the Armée de l'Air with several operational units on the base, including:- Strike squadron 3/4 Limousin equipped with Mirage 2000N.
- Tanker squadron 00.093 Bretagne equipped with KC-135 StratotankerKC-135 StratotankerThe Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...
. - DAMS 11.004 (Dépôt atelier de munitions spéciales) or Special Ammunition Storage responsible for the hardened alert facilities of nuclear mid-range Air-Sol Moyenne PortéeAir-Sol Moyenne PortéeThe Air-Sol Moyenne Portée is a French air-launched nuclear missile. Part of the Force de frappe, in French nuclear doctrine it is the last-resort "warning shot" prior to a full-scale employment of strategic nuclear weapons...
ASMP missiles to be used by Strike sqn 3/4 in its deterrence role. - Air Defence squadron 01.950 responsible for the base air defense.
- 25th air engineer regiment, a technical unit.
- Guard detachment fusilliers commandos de l'air responsible for the base security and ground defences.
Other uses
The base also hosts a helicopter squadron and a large repair and training facility. In addition, it also includes EPNEREPNER
EPNER, is the French test pilot school, based at the Istres Le Tube Airbase, France. One of the four main test pilot schools in the western hemisphere, EPNER maintains close links with the other three schools; The Empire Test Pilot's School ; The United States Air Force Test Pilot School and The...
(École du Personnel Navigant d’Essais et de Réception); test facilities for DGA
Délégation Générale pour l'Armement
The Direction générale de l’armement, which could be translated as “General Directorate for Armament”, or DGA, is the French Government Defence procurement agency responsible for the program management, development and purchase of weapon systems for the French military.-Armament programs...
, Dassault Aviation
Dassault Aviation
Dassault Aviation is a French aircraft manufacturer of military, regional and business jets, a subsidiary of Dassault Group.It was founded in 1930 by Marcel Bloch as Société des Avions Marcel Bloch or "MB". After World War II, Marcel Bloch changed his name to Marcel Dassault, and the name of the...
, SNECMA
Snecma
Snecma is a major French manufacturer of engines for commercial and military aircraft, and for space vehicles. The name is an acronym for Société Nationale d'Étude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation .In 2005, the Snecma group, which included Snecma ,...
, Thales
Thales Group
The Thales Group is a French electronics company delivering information systems and services for the aerospace, defense, transportation and security markets...
and some aeronautical units of the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
. More than 5,000 personnel work on the base.
Secondary users occasionally include the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
(USAF), during Allied operations engaging United States and France. During Operation Allied Force
Operation Allied Force
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
, USAF KC-135s and U-2s operated out of the base. Istres was the home of U-2 detachment OL-FR (Operating Location-FRance). Istres was also utilized by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
as a contingency landing site for the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
in the case of a Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL). The base's runway is 3750 metres (12,303.1 ft) long and 60 metres (196.9 ft) wide, making it the longest one in Europe and thus suited to Shuttle landings.
Incidents
On 31 March 1992, a Boeing 707Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
of Kabo Air
Kabo Air
Kabo Air is an airline headquartered in Kano, Kano State, Nigeria. It originally operated special charter services for corporate bodies, executives and government officials. However, in 2009 the airline received approval to start international scheduled services. The airline operated scheduled...
, a Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n company, made an emergency landing
Emergency landing
An emergency landing is a landing made by an aircraft in response to a crisis which either interferes with the operation of the aircraft or involves sudden medical emergencies necessitating diversion to the nearest airport.-Types of emergency landings:...
after a dangerous event almost unprecedented in the history of airliner flight. In turbulence
Turbulence
In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is a flow regime characterized by chaotic and stochastic property changes. This includes low momentum diffusion, high momentum convection, and rapid variation of pressure and velocity in space and time...
at 35,000 feet, engines 3 and 4 separated from the wing, along with flaps and control systems. With delicate operation of the remaining power and controls, the flight headed for Marseilles trailing fuel from broken tanks. Istres
Istres
Istres is a commune in southern France, some 60 km northwest of Marseille. It is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture...
air traffic control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
called the flight to tell them they had visual contact. "How can you see us? We're still in cloud?" "You're on fire," came the reply. Abandoning Marseilles as a potential landing site, the pilots spotted part of the Istres
Istres
Istres is a commune in southern France, some 60 km northwest of Marseille. It is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture...
runway in a gap in cloud and performed a flapless, downwind landing with a touch-down speed of nearly 200 knots and a raging fire fueled by the remaining fuel load pouring from the right wing. The gear failed and the aircraft's ground slide took it off the far end of the runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
, but the crew of five survived and the cargo was saved. The incident brought to light cowboy practices among certain airlines — the 707
707
Year 707 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 707 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* Empress Gemmei succeeds to the Japanese...
involved in the incident had passed mandatory maintenance and was overloaded.
World War II
Built prior to World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Istres Air Base was first used by the Armée de l'air during the early part of the war, and after the 1940 Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
and the June Armistice with Nazi Germany, became part of the limited air force of the Vichy Government. It was attacked on several missions by Allied bombers based in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
while under German control after November 1942. It was seized by Allied forces during Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up...
, the Invasion of Southern France in August 1944 and was repaired and placed into operational use by the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
XII Engineer Command, being turned over to Twelfth Air Force on 27 August 1944.
The airfield was designated by the Americans as Istres/Le Tubé Airfield or Advanced Landing Ground
Advanced Landing Ground
Advanced Landing Ground was the term given to the temporary advance airfields constructed by the Allies during World War II in support of the invasion of Europe...
Y-17. It was also given the AAF designation of USAAF Station 196. Twelfth Air Force initially assigned the 324th Fighter Group
324th Fighter Group
The 324th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with XII Air Support Command, stationed at Fliegerhorst Stuttgart-Echterdingen , Germany. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....
to the airfield on 2 September, with P-47 Thunderbolts. However the 324th only remained a few days before moving forward to Amberieu
Ambérieu-en-Bugey Air Base
Ambérieu-en-Bugey Air Base is a front-line French Air Force base located approximately 5 km north-northwest of Ambérieu-en-Bugey in the department of Ain in eastern France.-Overview:...
on 6 September.
The main USAAF use of Istres was by the 64th Troop Carrier Group, which operated C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
transports from the airfield from September to November 1944. When the combat units moved north into eastern France, Istres was used by Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
as a transshipment point for supplies and Allied personnel, being administratively controlled by the 1411th Army Air Force Base Unit.
With the end of the war, the Americans used Istres as a staging point between Occupied Germany and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
for air transport of personnel back to the United States. It was returned to full French control in October 1945.
Sometime after World War II, until May 1958 Base Aérienne 125 was host to the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Liaison Party, that serviced transient British and Commonwealth military aircraft staging to and from the United Kingdom.
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground
External links
- Official BA125 site (French)
- Strike squadron 3/4 Limousin site (French)
- Tanker squadron 00.093 Bretagne site (French)
- Fusiliers commando's de l'air (French)