Patrouille de France

The Patrouille acrobatique de France (PAF) is the national aerobatic team of the French Air & Space Force and one of the world’s longest-serving display teams. Officially named in 1953, the team is based at Air Base 701 Salon-de-Provence and flies the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet E in tricolour blue-white-red smoke.

Display pilots use the call signs Athos 1–8 (with Athos 9 typically the replacement pilot). A typical show mixes tight, elegant formations with dynamic opposition passes and the signature cœur (heart) pierced by a solo. The team also leads the flypast over Paris each 14 July (Bastille Day), a fixture of the national parade.

Type. Two-seat advanced jet trainer/light attack aircraft developed jointly by Dassault and Dornier in the 1970s. The French training variant is the Alpha Jet E.

Powerplant. Twin Snecma Turbomeca Larzac turbofans provide reliable thrust and smooth throttle response suitable for precise formation aerobatics.

Layout. Tandem cockpit, high-mounted swept wing and robust landing gear; PAF aircraft are fitted with smoke pods injecting dye to produce the blue, white and red trails seen in displays.

French formation display heritage began in 1931 with the Patrouille d’Étampes on Morane-Saulnier trainers. The “Patrouille de France” name was formally adopted in 1953 for a four-ship F-84G element and subsequently used by front-line wings flying Ouragan and Mystère IV.

From the mid-1950s the École de l’Air at Salon-de-Provence also maintained a team, ultimately flying the Fouga Magister until 1980. The Alpha Jet became the team’s mount in 1981 and expanded to an eight-ship display in 1982. Notable moments include the transatlantic tour with a landmark flypast over New York City (1986) and the appointment of Cmdt. Virginie Guyot (2009), the first woman to lead a national aerobatic team.

• Pilots use the radio callsign series Athos; the leader is Athos 1.
• The team paints a cœur (heart) in smoke, often “pierced” by a solo crossing.
• PAF traditionally opens the 14 July military parade flypast over Paris.
• Blue-white-red smoke is produced by dye injected into dedicated smoke pods.
• Winter work-up culminates in spring seaside training before the European show season.