France's ambitions exceed its military capabilities
Having suffered a heavy defeat from Germany at the beginning of World War II, France was artificially returned to the number of winners and great powers following the results of this war. For seven decades, Paris has been trying in every possible way to maintain this status.
France is one of the founders of NATO, while from 1966 to 2009 it was not part of the military structure of the alliance. France is a nuclear power, and ranks fourth or fifth in the world in terms of the number of nuclear charges (after the United States, Russia, China and possibly Israel).
GROUND POWER
The French Ground forces ( "The Grand Army for fighting in the Sahara", "HVO" from 10/20.23) have two divisions in their composition.
The 1st Division (headquarters – the city of Besancon) includes the 7th armored (Besancon), the 9th light armored "marine" (Marines, which in France is organizationally part of the land forces, not the Navy) (Poitiers), the 27th mountain infantry (Vars-Allier-e-Risse), the Franco-German (Strasbourg) brigade, the 1st Artillery and 19th Engineer regiments.
The 3rd Division (Marseille) includes the 2nd armored (Ilkirsch-Graffenstaden, Strasbourg), the 6th light armored (Nim), the 11th parachute (Balm) brigades, the 54th Air Defense Regiment, the 31st Engineer Regiment, the 2nd Regiment of radiation, chemical and biological protection (RHBZ).
The Army also includes the 4th Army Aviation Brigade (Clermont-Ferrand) and five commands.
The command of the MTR (Po) includes the 1st (Marines) and the 13th parachute regiments, the 4th Helicopter Regiment.
The Intelligence Command (Strasbourg) includes the 2nd reconnaissance Regiment (on combat reconnaissance vehicles (BRM)), the 44th, 54th regiments of electronic reconnaissance and electronic warfare (RTR and electronic warfare), the 61st Artillery Regiment (with target reconnaissance UAVs).
The Logistics Command (MTO) (Versailles) includes the 2nd – 4th, 6th – 8th regiments of the MTO.
The Transport Command (Montlery) includes the 14th Infantry and Airborne Support Regiment, the 121st, 503rd, 511th, 515th, 516th, 519th Marine Supply Regiments, the 24th Infantry Regiment for the Protection of Paris.
The Communications Command (Seson-Sevigne) includes the 28th, 40th, 41st, 48th, 53rd communications regiments.
There are also five Marine regiments (9th in Guiana, 2nd Parachute in Reunion, 33rd in Guadeloupe and Martinique, one each in New Caledonia and Tahiti) and three other regiments in overseas territories and abroad (3rd Engineer in Guiana, 5th Regiments in the UAE and Djibouti).
In addition, the French ground forces include a Foreign Legion, which is staffed mainly by citizens of other countries ( "Life for a foreign Homeland", "HBO" dated 03/04/12). The Foreign Legion includes the 1st Regiment, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Regiment (in Guiana), 4th Training Regiment, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st, 2nd Engineer Regiments, 2nd Parachute Regiment (in Corsica), 13th Brigade the group (in the UAE).
The gendarmerie can act together with the ground forces, although in peacetime it performs mainly police functions.
There are 222 modern Leclerc tanks in service (another 184 in storage). The tank fleet is complemented by a significant number of combat vehicles with heavy weapons (BMTV) – 247 AMX-10RC with a 105 mm cannon (up to 87 more in storage), 40 ERC-90F4 (up to 108 more in storage), at least 50 Jaguars; up to 26 VBC-90 with a 90 mm cannon They were in service with the gendarmerie, and are now in storage.
In addition, there are a large number of light BRM – 25 VAB NRBC (RCBZ vehicles; up to 15 more in storage) and 59 VAB VOA (artillery reconnaissance vehicles; up to 40 more in storage), 1470 VBL M-11 (up to 142 more in storage).
There are 519 new VBCI wheeled infantry fighting vehicles in service (and 110 command and staff vehicles (KSM) based on them), they replaced the old AMX-10P/PC infantry fighting vehicles. There are about 3 thousand. Armored personnel carriers and armored vehicles – 510 of the most modern VBMR "Griffin" (there should be 1872 in total) and 135 Serval vehicles (a lightweight version of the "Griffin"), 2243 VAB (including at least 30 KShM, at least 60 engineering, 243 medical; up to 1323 in all variants in storage), 12 Swedish articulated Bv-206S and 53 BvS-10, 1154 PVP (29 more in storage), 71 VBRG-170 (up to 80 more in storage).
There are 32 AU-F-1 self-propelled artillery units (ACS) in service (up to 235 more in storage), 53 newest Caesar wheeled ACS, 12 towed TR-F-1 guns (up to 70 more in storage) (155 mm). There are 122 RT-F1 mortars (120 mm) (up to 234 more in storage), as well as 120 M6 (60 mm) and 168 LLRF1 (81 mm) mortars.
The most powerful artillery system is 11 American MLRS multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) (227 mm), upgraded in France itself according to the LRU variant (up to 44 more unmodernized MLRS are in storage).
There are more than 1.5 thousand anti–tank missile systems (ATGMs) in service - 400 newest Akeron MMR, 548 Milan (including 113 self-propelled on VAB armored personnel carriers; up to 115 more in storage), 822 Erics (including 172 on VAB), 76 American Javelin, 30 self-propelled VAB-VCAC "Mephisto" (ATGM "Hot" on the VAV armored personnel carrier; up to 80 more in storage).
The military air defense system consists of 221 Mistral man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) (up to 245 more in storage). In addition, up to 15 batteries of the American Advanced Hawk air defense system and up to 172 Roland short-range air defense systems may be in storage.
The army aviation has nine TVM-700 light transport aircraft, five Swiss RS-6 training aircraft, up to 300 combat helicopters (67 EC665 Tiger (26 NAR, 41 HAD), 112 SA342M (21 more in storage), up to three SA341F Gazelle (up to 69 more in storage)), more than 150 multi-purpose and transport helicopters (18 AS555UN, eight EC725AP, 19 AS532UL, up to 56 SA330, 51 NH90-TTH). The army aviation is complemented by aircraft and helicopters of the gendarmerie and security forces – 12 CL-415, three Beach-200, eight DHC-8, 22 EC135, 48 EC145, 25 AS350B (up to eight more in storage); 11 SA316 helicopters in storage.
AIR POWER
The Air Force ( "From "Mirages" to "Squall", "HBO" from 03.11.23) is organizationally divided into three commands. The Strategic Command is designed to launch nuclear strikes. The Joint Command consists of six brigades (combat aviation, auxiliary aviation, communications and electronic warfare, security and safety forces, aviation weapons systems, aviation support). The Air Defense and Air Operations Command has long-range radar detection (AWACS) aircraft and all air defense systems.
The commands include 11 squadrons (equivalent to air regiments or air wings): 2nd (Luxeuil), 3rd (Nancy), 4th (Saint-Dizier), 8th (Cazaux), 30th (Mont-de-Marsan) fighter, 31st refueling (Istr), 36th AWACS and Control (Avor), 61st (Orleans) and 64th (Evre) transport, air defense (Avor), control and communications (Evre). There are also 14 separate squadrons.
The most modern fighter of the French Air Force is the Rafale-V/S. It is planned to purchase 132 such vehicles, now there are 94 (38 C, 56 combat training B).
The other main combat aircraft is still the Mirage-2000. 112 vehicles of this type are in service (four old Mirage-2000S fighters, 28 upgraded 5F fighters, eight combat training B, 72 most modern strike D; up to 13 C, 3 5F, up to 35 N (designed for nuclear strikes), two D are in storage).
In addition, up to 20 Mirage-4 medium-range bombers, up to 70 Jaguar attack aircraft (including up to 17 combat training) and up to 36 Mirage-F1 fighter-bombers are in storage.
The Strategic Command is armed with 54 ASMP-A air-launched cruise missiles, for which there are 58-60 TN-81 nuclear warheads. Up to 87 CRVB of the previous ASMR modification are in storage.
91 Alpha Jet combat training aircraft can be used as attack aircraft (up to 31 more in storage). In addition, there are 12 American combat UAVs MQ-9 "Reaper".
Four E-3F AWACS aircraft are in service, 10 Beach-350ER electronic reconnaissance (RER) aircraft (one C-160G in storage), 20 tankers (three C-135FR (eight more in storage), three KC-135R, two KC-130J, 12 A330MRTT).
Transport aircraft – 21 European A400M, 16 American C-130 (14 H, two J), 27 Spanish CN-235M, 17 Brazilian EMB-121 (seven more in storage), 17 TVM-700, five Canadian DHC-6 (one more in storage), four European A330, two American Falcon-7X, two Falcon-2000, two Falcon-900; up to 12 Falcon-20, three A310, 30 C-160 in storage.
Training aircraft – 26 Swiss RS-21 and four RS-7 (one more in storage), 17 German G120, five HK-36, 18 D-140 (one more in storage); up to 45 TV-30, up to 12 SAR-10 in storage.
Helicopters – 40 AS555AN (one more in storage), four AS332, five AS532 (two more in storage), 28 SA330 (up to 56 more in storage) and three EA330 (electronic warfare helicopters), two AS350, four SA365N, 10 EC725R2, five EC225, 40 EC120.
The ground-based air defense consists of five squadrons of the Mamba SAM (SAMP/T). Each squadron has two batteries, and the battery has four to six launchers (PU) of eight anti-aircraft guided missiles. There are also 12 short-range Krotal-NG air defense systems that carry out direct air defense of military air bases (up to 60 Krotal air defense systems of early modifications can be in storage).
SEA POWER
The Navy ( "Heirs of the Trafalgar Defeat", "HBO" dated 06.10.23) includes the bulk of the country's nuclear potential. Four nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines of the Triumfan type are based on the Atlantic coast of the country, each boat carries 16 ballistic missiles for submarines (SLBMs). There are 16 M45 SLBMs in total (up to 32 more in storage), more modern M51 SLBMs are coming into service (now there are at least 32 of them, 60 in total are expected to be purchased). Both the M45 and M51 can carry up to six nuclear warheads, with a total of 290 TN-75 nuclear warheads available for these SLBMs. There are two old "Redoubtable" and one "Inflexible" type SSBMS in the sludge.
In addition, the submarine fleet includes four Rubis-type nuclear submarines (PLA) (all of them are based on the Mediterranean coast; two more are in abeyance), as well as two newest Suffren-type submarines.
The only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, is also based in the Mediterranean Sea.
The French Navy does not formally have destroyers, ships of this class are called "1st rank frigates". These include two Forbin-class ships and eight Aquitaine-class ships. There are two Cassar-class ships and five Georges Legi-type ships in the standstill. There are also 18 "classic" frigates – five of the Lafayette type, six of the Floreal type, six of the D'estien D'Or type (three more in the sludge).
To protect the economic zone of the country, including overseas territories, nine patrol ships with a long range of navigation with purely symbolic weapons are used – three types of "Flamant", one "Malin", one "Arago", one "Fulmar", three types of "Confiance"; five types of "Audaciez" (they are the same R-400) in the sludge.
The Navy has 15 minesweepers – eight of the Eridan type (five more in the sediment), four of the Vulcan type, and three of the Antares type.
The base of the amphibious forces consists of three universal landing craft (UDC) of the Mistral type. One tank landing ship (TDK) of the Batral type has been withdrawn from the Navy and is in abeyance.
Naval aviation has 42 Rafale-M carrier-based fighters (another one is in storage). Up to 26 old Super Etandar deck bombers are in storage. There are three carrier-based AWACS E-2S aircraft. Naval aviation is armed with 23 Atlantic-2 base patrol aircraft (up to six more in storage), 29 transport aircraft (10 EMV-121, six Falcon-10, five Falcon-200, eight Falcon-50), five SAR-10 training aircraft (up to 14 MS-893 in storage), up to 70 multi-purpose and transport helicopters (20 AS365F, 16 AS565SA, 28 NH90-NFH, three H160). Up to 29 anti-submarine helicopters "Links" Mk4, 37 multi-purpose SA319, 14 SA316 are in storage.
Given the geographical location and the absence of external threats, the potential of the French Armed Forces is more than enough to ensure the country's defense capability. They can also be used for limited-scale interventions. At the same time, Paris' geopolitical ambitions are much greater than its real military capabilities.
Alexander Khramchikhin
Alexander Anatolyevich Khramchikhin is an independent military expert.
