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3 June 2013
| Monday 3 June 2013 was the day that the CEAM celebrated its 80th anniversary. All former and serving personnel |
| were invited to the ceremony at Mont-de-Marsan that was also attended by the French Air Force Commander in Chief, |
| General Denis Mercier. At the end of the ceremony a fourship (Alpha Jet, Mirage 2000-5, Mirage 2000D and Rafale) |
| overflew the CEAM facilities. This day was a perfect opportunity for people to catch up, exchange experiences, and meet |
| other persons that either served or are still serving with the unit. An A400M (Grizzly 5) was flown in for the occasion |
| and everybody had a chance to have a closer look at the transport aircraft, both outside and inside. After lunch, the |
| squadron gave more insight in its current activities. A static and dynamic display took up most of the afternoon. Besides |
| a Mirage 2000-5, Mirage 2000D and Rafale B the squadron showed a wide variety of weaponry, flight gear, and other |
| equipment that can be found at an airbase. It was interesting to see that the ASTAC-pod was displayed with the Mirage |
| 2000D. This pod for gathering electro-magnetic data is currently being used by the Mirage F1s but is planned to be part |
| of the 2000D platform after the F1s are withdrawn from use next year. It seems that the testing on the Mirage 2000D has |
| already started. |
| Other participants at the static display were a C-160R with a surveillance pod installed at the door behind the wings, the |
| A400M, and a Caracal. The flying part consisted of a couple of low passes by a Mirage 2000D and a Rafale C both from CEAM. |
| The A400M departed and made a low pass before leaving. The Caracal showed of its capabilities with a lot of tight turns and |
| Special Forces hanging underneath. The day was closed with the unveiling of a wall with the names of the fallen airmen |
| of the Mont-de-Marsan squadrons. The wall is placed next to the Mystère IV in which Colonel Rozanoff broke the sound |
| barrier in 1953. Following this inauguration another formation, consisting of two Mirage F1CRs and a Rafale, overflew |
| the grounds. After the flypast, one of the F1s lost its canopy and had to make an emergency landing. Fortunately, the |
| pilot and aircraft returned safely and the damage seemed to be limited to the canopy section only. |
| The presence of the Commander in Chief, a minister, and many departmental and local politicians stressed the importance |
| of CEAM within the French Air Force. During his speech, General Mercier mentioned that CEAM is one of the |
| units that represent past, present and future of the French Air Force and that it is an example of adaptability to changing |
| requirements. It is clear that CEAM is a unit with unique competences in the field of tactical and technical evaluation |
| of French Air Force systems and that the dedicated man and woman have an important role in the successful introduction |
| and upgrades of these systems within the operational units. Its motto is therefore very relevant: to correctly answer the |
| operational needs of the armed forces as good and quickly as possible. |
| Static: | |||
| R91/61-ZI | C160R | ET00.061 | |
| 2802/SK | EC725 | EH01.067 | flying |
| 54/118-EZ | Mirage 2000-5 | ECE05.330 |
| 640/118-IN | Mirage 2000D | ECE05.330 |
| 305/118-EC | Rafale B | ECE05.330 |
| F-WWZM | A400M | Airbus | flying |
| Flyby 1: | |||
| E89/118-LX | Alpha Jet E | ECE05.330 | |
| 323/118-HT | Rafale B | ECE05.330 |
| 109/115-YH | Mirage 2000C | ECE05.330 |
| 632/133-XE | Mirage 2000D | ECE05.330 |
| Flyby 2: | |||
| 606/118-CU | Mirage F1CR | ER02.033 | |
| 614/118-NR | Mirage F1CR | ER02.033 |
| 137/118-GP | Rafale C | ECE05.330 |
Credits: by Jan Kraak
The author would like to thank SIRPA Air, Captain Guirbal and all the people at CEAM for their kind help in writing this article.
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