It gives me great pleasure to introduce this special issue of Défense nationale et sécurité collective dedicated to aeronautics, as I did once before on the opening of the Paris Air Show. As in 2007, you will have the opportunity to read outstanding contributions from a number of authors who keep abreast of the changes being made in the aeronautical community, and more specifically the Air Force. I am particularly thankful to General Schwartz, Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, Mr Collet-Billon, Chief of Defence Procurement, Vice Admiral Launay, Vice Chief of Staff of the Navy and Mr Granier, Colonel in the General Reserve, for sharing their views on current issues.

Admittedly, the two years that have gone by since the previous issue have been very busy. A new White Paper on defence and national security has been issued, a wide-ranging reform has been launched and the Air Force has, for good, entered the age of robotization. With the celebration of the 75^th anniversary of our service, 2009 is just as momentous since it will see the implementation of the measures adopted as part of the General Review of Public Policies, the acquisition of new domains of action and, last but not least, the continuation of operations.

Operations

The Air Force is still engaged in Central Asia, where for more than seven years it has deployed air assets and Special Forces carrying out various tasks. Our fighter aircrews perform daily intelligence-gathering missions, convoy protection, area monitoring and shows of force. When the tactical situation dictates, they open fire in close coordination with troops on the ground. For example, some 1,700 close air support sorties and over 300 show of force missions were performed by the French Air Force’s aircraft in 2008. Our tankers help our fighter aircraft to significantly improve their endurance. The UAVs we recently deployed scan the ground searching for evidence that could cause the enemy to disclose his presence. Transport aircrews provide vital resupply in support of the French units deployed in Afghanistan, resorting to uncommon techniques such as high-altitude airdrops, when appropriate. Lastly, helicopter crews contribute to the success of operations by providing air mobility to some elements or through casualty evacuation. They, regularly, single themselves out for their performance as was the case in Uzbeen last August, when under enemy fire they established an air bridge between Kabul and the battle area for several hours.