Last week, the Casa CN-235 tactical transport aircraft celebrated its 30 years of presence in French Polynesia, highlighting the strategic importance of overseas and foreign support points (OME) for the French Air and Space Army. These support points serve as entry points for autonomous power and force projections from the metropolitan territory.
The network of support points overseas and abroad contributes to the nation’s sovereignty and protection of its citizens, providing the French Air and Space Army with unique capabilities for presence, response, and projection. From French Guiana to the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, these sovereignty forces ensure national territory protection and regional cooperation through five permanent bases overseas: Air Base 367 in French Guiana (FAG – Armed Forces in French Guiana), the state aeronautical pole in the Caribbean (FAA – Armed Forces in the Caribbean), Air Base 186 in New Caledonia (FANC – Armed Forces in New Caledonia), Air Detachment 190 in French Polynesia (FAPF – Armed Forces in French Polynesia), and Air Base 181 in La Réunion (FAZSOI – Armed Forces in the southern Indian Ocean).
Supplemented by three air bases abroad, specifically in the United Arab Emirates, Djibouti, and the Levant, and two inter-armed liaison detachments in Côte d’Ivoire and Gabon, these support points ensure a vigilant and intervention-ready posture by over 2,100 Airmen on a daily basis for a range of scenarios from security crises to natural disasters and the support of evacuation operations.
Amid the international context’s deterioration, the French Air and Space Army continues to strengthen its overseas support capabilities for missions involving force projection, airmobility, and intelligence, emphasizing the modernization of aircraft systems, including the CN-235 Casa planes for enhanced navigation, and the progressive replacement of Puma helicopters with Caracal H225s for tactical transport and search and rescue operations in various regions worldwide.
Since December 9, 2025, an A400M Atlas transport and assault aircraft has been permanently stationed at the French Forces’ air base 104 in the United Arab Emirates, reflecting a growing fleet of A400M aircraft to increase deployment frequency and aim for near-continuous presence in the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions by 2028.
