100 years

Flottille 11F

T
he Morlaix Air Show in Brittany, Above: An echelon formation of the five specially painted Flottille 11F Rafale Ms. The centennial markings on
September 29, 2019. The thunderous the left side of the fins depict historic types flown by the squadron and its antecedents, from the Hanriot HD of
1919 to the Super Étendard retired in 2011. All photos Bastien Otelli unless stated Inset: James Lawrence
tactical demonstration by the two
Rafale Ms of Flottille 11F – nicknamed ‘La The pioneers Float-equipped Hanriot HD fighters took
Furieuse’ (The Furious) – is ending with a The unit has had many names throughout its off from the raised wooden flight deck of
‘show of force’, a high-speed pass intended to history: AC1 (1919), C10 (1922), 7C3 (1925), 7C1 the vessel, which was just over 230ft (70m)
impress enemy troops. On the ground below (1926), AC1 (1938), 1FC (1940), 1C (1943), 1F long in total. AC1’s Lieutenant de Vaisseau
is Capitaine de Frégate (Commander) Yvan (1945) and finally 11F (since 1953). Before the (Lieutenant) Paul Teste was the first to land his
Launay, callsign ‘Helmut’, the 11F boss. For squadron settled down at the naval air base Hanriot on the carrier, on October 20, 1920.
a brief moment, the two jets are enveloped in Landivisiau in Brittany, 11F operated from
in a cloud of condensation. A NATO Tiger numerous other locations: Saint-Raphaël, Birth of ‘La Furieuse’
Association scarf wrapped around his neck, Cherbourg, Lanvéoc, Calais, Bône, Tarafaoui, Initially, the French Navy used the term Aviation
the squadron commander expresses his Port Lyautey, Thiersville, Karouba, among others. d’Escadre (Aviation Squadron), but from 1926,
satisfaction as the two Rafales disappear The story begins in March 1919 when AC1 the more nautical-sounding Flottille became
above the clouds, following a brutal 9G pitch- was established in Saint-Raphaël in the the common term for the Aéronautique Navale
up. Commanding one of the two oldest units southeastern Var department. Created from units. Around the same time, 7C1 realised the
in the Aéronautique Navale (French Naval Air an air force unit, B102, its mission was air strategic importance of nocturnal missions, and
Arm) is a cause for celebration – especially defence and maritime reconnaissance from the need for aviators trained to land at night on
when it is marking its 100th anniversary. the very first French aircraft carrier, Bapaume. a carrier. Other units considered this task almost

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rs of fury The French Navy’s oldest fighter squadron, Flottille
11F, turned 100 last year. Bastien Otelli takes the
opportunity to look back at its glorious past and
to examine the latest evolution of the Rafale, as
the unit becomes the first to receive the F3-R
standard.

and its personnel were reassigned to

impossible, but the World War Two air force squadrons, going on to fight
7C1 commander, Lieutenant Edouard Jozan, In 1938, 7C1 became AC1 and at the outbreak during the ‘second battle for France’.
completed a first night landing on the deck of of war was equipped with Dewoitine D.373 and In October 1945, the unit was
the carrier Béarn, on November 24, 1927, flying D.376 aircraft – obsolete compared with the reborn under the 1F designation,
a Gourdou-Leseurre 22. 7C1 contributed greatly latest German aircraft. The hasty arrival of the flying the Supermarine Seafire
to the development of night-landing techniques. Potez 631, although more capable, did MkIII. Attached to the aircraft
By 1936, a procedure had been developed – little to help. The defeated squadron carrier Arromanches in 1950,
albeit fairly rudimentary – using a constant-slope was renamed 1FC in 1940 and then 1F was now equipped with
approach determined by visual alignment of a served the Vichy regime with the F6F-5 Hellcats and went to
central mast (folded down at the last moment) Dewoitine D.520. Campaigns war in Indochina. On June
and a rectangular marker painted white and included fighting against the 20, 1953, it changed its
illuminated. Although pilots complained the Anglo-French forces in Syria name again to become 11F
lighting on the marker was insufficient, they and Lebanon and opposing and returned to fight in
managed to land anyway. This perseverance, the Anglo-American landings Indochina, providing valuable
combined with their rigour and courage, led in Morocco in 1942. After the fire support to ground
to other units nicknaming 7C1 ‘La Furieuse’ fall of Vichy France – the regime troops defending Dien Bien
– a name still used today – while its pilots that supported Nazi ideology – in Phu. These feats earned the
proudly refer to themselves as ‘Les Furieux’. 1944, the Allies dissolved the flotilla unit several military citations.

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 Flottille 11F

1
The spearhead very first Super Étendard, capable, among (LGB). Combat missions resumed, with Trident
In 1955, 11F entered the jet era with the arrival of other things, of delivering nuclear weapons and Trident 2 flown over the former Yugoslavia
the first Aquilon (licence-built de Havilland Sea (the AN.52 gravity bomb, followed by the under NATO auspices, beginning in 1998.
Venom) and fought in Algeria. In April 1963 – now ASMP standoff missile in 1989). With the During this conflict, 11F SEMs flew 202 missions,
based in Hyères, Var – it received a first Dassault Super Étendard, 11F was active in various prosecuting 125 attacks and destroying 85
Étendard IVM. The new fighter was a revolution: combat operations: Olifant over Djibouti and targets in Serbia and Kosovo. Representing
dedicated to ground attack and equipped Mirmillon over Libya in 1984, Prométhée barely 9% of French air assets engaged in
with powerful weapons, the Étendard marked in the Arabian Sea in 1987 and Balbuzard the Balkans, 11F destroyed 45% of objectives
the beginning of a process of industrial self- in the Adriatic Sea from 1993 to 1995. assigned to France by NATO, with a success
sufficiency that continues with today’s Rafale. The arrival of the Super Étendard Modernisé rate of 73% – the highest in the alliance.
Beginning in 1963, 11F was assigned (SEM) further strengthened 11F from 1995, thanks
exclusively to the new carrier Clémenceau. in particular to the AS.30 laser- An omnipresent unit
The warship’s tiger emblem led to 11F guided missile From 1999 to 2000, 11F, and sister units
joining the NATO Tiger Association, despite and GBU- 12F and 17F, participated in tests of
Clémenceau’s retirement in 1997. 12 laser- France’s first nuclear-powered
The squadron arrived at its new home of guided carrier, Charles de Gaulle.
Landivisiau in 1967, and in 1978 received the bomb Aboard this new-generation

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 2
warship, 11F fought in Lebanon, Yugoslavia, to the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. came the F2, including the first air-to-ground
Afghanistan and Libya. In November 2003, the In summary, since 1919 – and with the capacities, plus Link 16; F3 (including the
new Damoclès pod gave the SEM the ability to exception of Opération Serval in Mali – 11F Exocet anti-ship missile, reconnaissance pod
launch laser-guided weapons by night. From has taken part in all significant campaigns and terrain-following radar); and F3.2 (including
2006 to 2007, 11F was deployed from the ship fought in defence of French interests. air-to-ground cannon and LGB self-designation
on ground-attack missions in Afghanistan. capability). Next came F3.3, F3.3’, F3.4+ and
In 2011, 11F’s SEMs were retired First with the F3-R F3-O4T, adding the GBU-24 LGB, new missile
from service in favour of the Last May, 11F received its first Rafale F3-R. approach warning system, new NATO standard
F2-standard Rafale M, capable This new standard is part of the continuous Military Grid Reference System, improved-
of both air defence and ground- modernisation of the aircraft, which is resolution cockpit displays and other features.
attack missions. At the end of 2017, intended to evolve until the advent of the All these evolutions ensured the Rafale’s
the unit participated in Opération Next Generation Fighter (NGF), which has combat efficiency and kept it competitive on
Chammal, when its Rafales (standard only now entered the development phase. the export market. The F3-R, for its part, marks
F3.4+ at the time) were deployed to Jordan To better understand the F3-R, it’s helpful a new milestone and one in which 11F actively
(the Charles de Gaulle was in retrofit). The jets to revisit the F1-standard Rafale, which was participates – the unit is the first in the French
delivered GBU-12 LGBs and SCALP cruise exclusively dedicated to air defence (and which military to be equipped with this standard.
missiles against strategic positions belonging was only delivered to Flottille 12F). After the F1 The two major innovations of the F3-R are:

4
1: Two jets configured for landing. Conversion to the navalised Rafale M is considered a relatively
straightforward process, with pilots requiring just two to three weeks to become accustomed to the jet. 2: The
five-ship formation, with Rafale M 32 nearest the camera. This jet is armed with infrared-guided MICA IR air-
to-air missiles on the wingtips and radar-guided MICA EM weapons under the wing. 3: A three-ship breaks off
the Brittany coast. Flottille 11F has been based at Landivisiau since 1967. 4: Rafale M serials 32 and 10 deploy
their undercarriage and trail their arrester hooks. As part of the centenary scheme, five aircraft received tiger
stripes on the right side of their fins – NATO Tiger Association membership is derived from the emblem of the
aircraft carrier ‘Clémenceau’.

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 Flottille 11F

 MBDA Meteor: Above: Infrared flares remain an important part of the Rafale’s sophisticated self-protection system. The
a beyond-visual- Spectra suite includes a radar warning receiver, laser warner, missile launch detector and a high-power radar
jammer – as well as decoy dispensers. Below: Flottille 11F was the first Rafale operator to receive jets upgraded
range air-to-air missile to the F3-R standard and work is now under way to prepare for F4. This work will also pioneer technologies
(BVRAAM), 12ft 2in (3.7m) long, powered by planned for use in the future Next Generation Fighter, which will also be carrier capable. Bottom: James Lawrence
a ramjet engine. This high-speed weapon
has a range of more than 62 miles (100km).
 Thales Talios: compared with the previous
Damoclès pod, this offers improved video
resolution and ensures the Rafale can cover
the entire spectrum of missions – intelligence,
identification, acquisition and destruction
of targets, and evaluation of damage – with
considerable precision. The pod is able to transmit
and receive data, collected in real time, allowing
improved interoperability with other assets.
The Meteor and Talios are not the only stores
available to 11F’s F3-Rs. The latest Rafale can
also drop the 1,000lb (454kg) GBU-16 LGB and A multi-role squadron of the historical aircraft.” On the left side,
is able to fully exploit the capacities of the Pod For much of the 20th century, 11F was the fins are all different, while the design
Reco NG for reconnaissance. It also benefits mainly confined to aerial reconnaissance on the right is the same: the squadron’s
from the latest evolutions of the Spectra self- and ground attack. But since 2011, the winged seahorse emblem (its tail symbolising
protection system, providing 360° coverage squadron’s mission spectrum has increased the arrester hook) against a tiger-stripe
against air-to-air and ground-to-air threats. to include reconnaissance, bombing, close background, and a red ‘100 ans’ inscription.
The latest version of the jet is equipped with air support, air defence, nuclear deterrence The centennial markings on the left side
a new-generation automatic ground collision and, of course, maritime strikes. honour 1919’s AC1 and its Hanriot HDs,
avoidance system (AGCAS), modernised GPS Last year, 11F added an additional tasking: 1928’s 7C1 and its Dewoitine D.1C1s, the
and improved Link 16 communication system. airshow demonstrations. To mark 100 years Dewoitine D.520s flown in the 1940s, the
Moreover, training a pilot on the latest jet is of operations, the tailfins of five Rafales were Hellcats of 1F in the 1950s and, finally, the
quick: just two to three weeks. However, it painted different colours to represent the Super Étendards operated by 11F until 2011.
should be noted that 11F’s Rafale F3-R will squadron’s history, as Capitaine de Frégate The specially painted tailfins and tactical
not be declared fully operational until June. Launay explained: “These colours are from demonstrations during air displays saw 11F
The integration process for the fighter – the official military archives of our pioneers. serve as an ambassador for the Aéronautique
including functional check flights and weapons We were inspired by them in order to Navale in the unit’s centennial year, honouring
test campaigns – is long and complex. accurately reproduce the paint schemes the illustrious legacy of ‘Les Furieux’. AFM

Rafale F3-R, F4… what next?

In January 2019, with Flottille 11F yet to receive protection against cyber attack It’s hard to say if the F4 will be the
its first Rafale F3-R, the French Armed Forces  Secure, encrypted SATCOM last Rafale standard, but it’s certain
approved development of the follow-on F4 standard.  Enhanced Spectra self-protection these optimisations will assist
Expected in service from 2024, the Rafale F4 suite plus new flares and Dassault to realise the Système de
will be a significant evolution, including: electromagnetic jammers Combat Aérien du Futur (SCAF, or
 MBE2 radar optimisation for tracking of moving  New digital engine controls and Future Combat Air System) programme,
ground targets and very high-resolution mapping diagnostic/prognosis system which is being jointly conducted with
 Link 16 Block 2 integration allowing predictive maintenance Airbus (see Headlines, p6-7). A maiden
 New weapons, including the future MICA NG air-to-air for improved operational readiness flight of the SCAF’s manned fighter
missile, which has miniaturised components, additional Once it arrives in service, the F4 should be quickly component, the Next Generation Fighter (NGF) is scheduled
propellant and increased speed and autonomy followed by a mid-life update for the Rafale in 2025. for 2026. The new fighter is also expected to operate as
 Larger and higher-resolution cockpit displays, Little is known about this project, except that the a ‘mothership’ for autonomous combat drones. It’s an
plus a helmet-mounted display system Spectra will be further modernised, and the fighter’s ambitious project but, if all goes to plan, it should become
 New tactical data link and information- airframe slightly modified to reduce its radar cross- operational between 2035 and 2040. A carrier-based NGF
sharing system between Rafales section. It will also feature new transmitter/receiver is also on the cards and it’s entirely possible that Flottille
 Communication network with high degree of antennas integrated under the aircraft’s skin. 11F will be the first French unit equipped with this version.

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