The French Air and Space Force maintains France’s air security needs in an airspace teeming with aircraft – amounting to 2.3 million flights per year or approximately 12,000 per day. Jean François Auran reports on the Posture Permanente de Sûreté Aérienne, which mobilises 500 aviators daily to face any potential aerial threat
What are the threats to French airspace? Today, the main one consists of a terrorist attack from a hijacked commercial flight. These actions could primarily be carried out against so-called ‘sensitive’ targets, such as military command centres, military and civilian nuclear sites or strategic infrastructure. France has more than 65 airports and 1,863 airfields and, as such, a significant amount of air activity.
