Lanvéoc-Poulmic military airfield
| Base aeronautique navale de Lanvéoc-Polmic | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Characteristics | |||
| ICAO code | LFRL | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Height above MSL | 87 m (285 ft ) | ||
| Transport links | |||
| Distance from the city center | 5 km northeast of Crozon | ||
| Street | 1.5 km to the D 63 | ||
| Basic data | |||
| opening | 1937 | ||
| operator | Marine national | ||
| surface | 303 ha | ||
| Runways | |||
| 05/23 | 1120 m × 40 m asphalt | ||
| 13/31 | 650 m × 54 m unpaved | ||
The Base aéronautique navale de Lanvéoc-Poulmic (BAN Lanvéoc-Poulmic) is a military airfield of the French Aéronavale , the naval aviator of the National Navy . The base is located in the region of Brittany in the department of Finistère in the field of community Lanvéoc . It is the home base of most of the French on-board helicopters.
history
As early as 1920, the location near Lanvéoc on the Rade de Brest was selected by the French Navy as one of 37 stations for the operation of seaplanes , whose task was to monitor coastal waters. Béarn carrier aircraft also used Lanvéoc as a land base from 1936 onwards. The airfield for the operation of land aircraft was officially inaugurated in 1937.
From 1940 to 1944 the base was in German hands. After France's surrender at the end of the Western campaign which used Air Force airfield as a military airfield Brest-South . At the end of July 1940, the special season Trans Ozean moved with a few Dornier Do 26 and Blohm & Voss Ha 139 from Travemünde to Brittany. It was dissolved at the end of January 1941. As early as September 1940, the second unit, mainly equipped with flying boats , was set up, the Emergency Squadron 1 , which operated from here until July 1944.
Brest-Süd was also the base for land planes, initially in particular for parts of Jagdgeschwader 53 (summer 1940) and Jagdgeschwader 2 (winter 1940/41), both equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109s . Also from the summer of 1940, Dornier Do 17 , Junkers Ju 88 , Heinkel He 111 and (from 1941) Junkers Ju 88 of weather exploration squadron 2 (Wekusta 2) flew reconnaissance flights from Lanvéoc, later also to discover Allied ship convoys . After the base was significantly damaged in an air raid by the RAF Bomber Command in early January 1942 , Wekusta 2 moved to Nantes Château Bougon in July 1942 . Other units equipped with twin-engine aircraft that were temporarily in Lanvéoc were parts of Kampfgeschwaders 40 (He 111, spring 1941) and Destroyer Wing 1 ( Bf 110 , second half of 1943).
After the area was liberated as a result of the Battle of Brittany by the Americans, the airfield was returned to the French Navy. From then on she used it as a base for a squadron of liaison and transport aircraft, the Escadrille 1S . In addition to land planes such as Anson or Morane 502 , flying boats of the Sunderland and Walrus types were also operated. Another squadron, the Escadrille 50S , was used for training and was equipped with various types of aircraft, including the Junkers Ju 52 . The operation of flying boats ended in 1961 when the Sunderland was decommissioned.
In 1964, Lanvéoc first became the home base of helicopters of the Alouette II and Alouette III types , whose initial task was to protect the aircraft carriers stationed in Brest , they were flown by the Flotilla 32F and Escadrille 22S. The 50S school relay was dissolved in the same year. In addition, there was a submarine squadron here from 1974 , the Flotilla 34F, which was initially equipped with Alouette III and later with Sea Lynx .
In the decades that followed, the flying units were reorganized again and again, and the existing aircraft fleet was also subject to changes. In the meantime, Dauphin , Panther and Super Frelon flew here and the first Cougar and Caiman arrived in Brittany in 2010.
The last French Lynx, which were last operated only by the Flotilla 34F, were decommissioned in 2020.
Todays use
The Aéronavale is currently (2018) using the base as follows:
- Flotilla 33F, a squadron of multi-role Caiman on -board helicopter (since 2011)
- Flotilla 34F, a squadron of ASW - frigates -Bordhubschrauber Sea Lynx HAS.2 (FN), HAS.4 (FN) , yet by 2022
- Escadrille 22S, a squadron Alouette III training helicopter
- Escadrille 50S, a squadron of Mudry CAP 10 trainer aircraft and Morane-Saulnier Rally
There are also some non-flying formations.