The French Air and Space Force deployed three Dassault Rafale fighter jets to a civilian airport in southwestern France during an exercise designed to test its ability to continue flying missions if military air bases become unavailable.
The aircraft operated from Pau-Pyrénées Airport in late September as part of BASEX, a nationwide exercise conducted between September 23 and October 2. The deployment was disclosed by the French military on October 13.
The three Rafales belonged to the 30th Fighter Wing, based at Mont-de-Marsan Air Base, approximately 80 kilometers north of Pau.
A detachment of about 25 personnel accompanied the fighters, including pilots, maintenance technicians and security personnel. The relatively small team was intended to demonstrate that combat aircraft could operate away from their permanent bases with limited logistical support.
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The Rafales conducted training sorties from Pau, supported by a deployable mobile facility known as SAMD, which provided the infrastructure required for mission briefings and flight preparation.
The exercise tested how quickly fighters could relocate from their home base and resume operations from an alternative airfield.
Transport aircraft also deployed
The French military conducted a second deployment at Dinard Airport, in northwestern France, using two CASA CN235 military transport aircraft from the 64th Transport Wing at Évreux Air Base.
Approximately 30 personnel supported the operation, including aircrews, mechanics and security teams.
The CN235s conducted training flights from Dinard and participated in exercises involving explosive ordnance disposal teams and airport emergency services.
Unlike operations from established military bases, the deployment relied partly on civilian airport infrastructure, including local refueling facilities.
According to the French Air and Space Force, both deployments were coordinated with airport authorities to avoid disrupting commercial aviation activities.
Preparing for attacks on military bases
The operations followed the French adaptation of the Agile Combat Employment concept, known as FRA-ACE, which seeks to reduce the vulnerability of military aviation by dispersing aircraft across multiple locations.
The approach is particularly relevant to the threat posed by long-range missiles and drones, which can damage runways, hangars, fuel storage facilities and other infrastructure needed to sustain combat operations.
Instead of concentrating aircraft and support personnel at a small number of permanent installations, air forces can temporarily relocate fighters to secondary airfields and continue conducting missions.
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France has conducted similar exercises before. In September 2025, three Mirage 2000D fighters operated from Metz-Nancy-Lorraine Airport. Between March 31 and April 2, 2026, two Airbus A400M military transports deployed to Châteauroux Airport, while two Mirage 2000-5 fighters operated from Dole-Jura Airport.
French Rafales have also participated in dispersal training abroad, including a deployment to Uppsala, Sweden, in January 2026.
The latest BASEX exercise also tested the ability of French military installations to respond to simultaneous threats, including drone attacks, sabotage and cyber incidents, without interrupting essential air operations.
