French Army

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French Army

The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based

Army

An army , in the broadest sense, is the land-based armed forces of a nation. It may also include other branches of the military such as an air force....
component of the French Armed Forces

Military of France

The Military of France encompasses an French Army, a French Navy, an French Air Force and a National Gendarmerie . The President of the French Republic heads the armed forces, with the title of "chef des arm?es" - "chief of the military forces"....
and its largest. As of 2007, the army employs 134,000 regular soldiers, 15,500 reservists, and 25,750 civilians. All soldiers are now considered professionals, following the suspension of conscription

Conscription

Conscription is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by an established authority. It is most often used in the specific sense of government policies that require citizens to serve in the military....
in 1996.

army is divided into different Corps or armes. These units retain both symbolic and non symbolic and administrative values.

The operational organisation of the Army combines units from various Corps in 17 Brigades.

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French Armée de Terre statistics

Personnel (Regular Army)

134,000

Personnel (Reserve Forces)

15,800

Main Battle Tanks

354 Leclerc

Leclerc

The Leclerc is a main battle tank built by Nexter of France. It was named in honour of General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque who led the Liberation of Paris while in command of the 2nd Armored Division in World War II....
s (as of 2008), 17 AMX-30B2

AMX 30

The AMX-30 is a main battle tank designed by Nexter, first delivered to the French Army in 1966. The first five tanks were issued to the 501st R?giment de Chars de Combat in August of that year....
s

Light Tanks

192 ERC-90s, 300 AMX-10RCs

Reconnaissance vehicles

1100 VBL

VBL

The Panhard V?hicule Blind? L?ger is a wheeled Four_wheel_drive all-terrain vehicle offered in various configurations. It was designed to combine the agility of the Peugeot Peugeot P4 liaison vehicle with adequate protection against small arms fire, artillery fragments, Land mine and NBC ....
s,

Infantry Fighting vehicle

Infantry fighting vehicle

An infantry fighting vehicle is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide fire support for them....
s

601 AMX-10P

AMX-10P

The AMX 10 P is a French infantry fighting vehicle. It was developed after 1965 to replace the AMX-VCI in French service, and the first prototypes were completed in 1968....
s.

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Encyclopedia

The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based

Army

An army , in the broadest sense, is the land-based armed forces of a nation. It may also include other branches of the military such as an air force....
component of the French Armed Forces

Military of France

Conscription

Organisation

The army is divided into different Corps or armes. These units retain both symbolic and non symbolic and administrative values.

Troupes de Marine
Troupes de marine

The , are an arm of the French Army with naval heritage. The Troupes de marine are dedicated to service overseas. Despite their title they have been a part of the Army since 1958....
composed of:

Marine Infantry (Infanterie de Marine, including parachute regiments such as 1er RPIMa and light cavalry such as RICM
RICM

The RICM, in French language R?giment d'Infanterie de Chars de Marine is a light cavalry regiment of the French Army belonging to the "Troupes de Marine"....
)
Marine Artillery (Artillerie de Marine)

Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion

The French Foreign Legion is a unique unit separate from the regular French Army, established in 1831. The legion was specifically created as a unit for foreign volunteers, to be commanded by French officers; it is however also open to France citizens, who amount to 24% of recruits....
(Légion étrangère)
Armour
Armour

Armour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat....
ed Cavalry
Cavalry

The Cavalry is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat, it represents the mobility and offensive power of the armed forces....
(Arme Blindée cavalerie)
Artillery
Artillery

Artillery is a military Combat Arms which employs any apparatus, machine, an assortment of tools or instruments, a system or systems used as weapons for the discharge of large projectiles in combat as a major contribution of fire power within the overall military capability of an armed force....
;
Army Light Aviation
French Army Light Aviation

The French Army Light Aviation is a the aviation service of the French Army....
(Aviation Légère de l'Armée de Terre - ALAT), including combat helicopter
Helicopter

A helicopter is an aircraft that is Lift and propelled by one or more horizontal plane Helicopter rotors, each rotor consisting of two or more rotor blades....
s;
Military engineer
Military engineer

A military engineer is primarily responsible for the design and construction of offensive, defensive, and logistical structures for warfare. Other duties include the layout, placement, maintenance and dismantling of defensive land mine and the clearing of enemy minefields and the construction and destruction of bridges....
s (Génie Militaire);
Infantry
Infantry

Infantry are soldiers who are primarily trained for the role of fighting on foot. A soldier in the infantry is known as an infantryman. Infantry units have more physically demanding training than other branches of armies, and place a greater emphasis on fitness, physical strength and aggression....
,

including specialist mountain infantry (Chasseurs Alpins
Chasseurs alpins

The Chasseurs Alpins are the elite mountain infantry of the French Army. They are trained to operate in mountainous terrain and in urban warfare....
)

Maintenance (Matériel
Materiel

Materiel is a term used in English language to refer to the equipment and supply in Military supply chain management and Business supply chain management....
)
Logistics (Train)
Signals (Transmissions)
Commissary

The operational organisation of the Army combines units from various Corps in 17 Brigades.

Statistics

French Armée de Terre statistics
Personnel (Regular Army)	134,000
Personnel (Reserve Forces)	15,800
Main Battle Tanks	354 Leclerc Leclerc The Leclerc is a main battle tank built by Nexter of France. It was named in honour of General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque who led the Liberation of Paris while in command of the 2nd Armored Division in World War II.... s (as of 2008), 17 AMX-30B2 AMX 30 The AMX-30 is a main battle tank designed by Nexter, first delivered to the French Army in 1966. The first five tanks were issued to the 501st R?giment de Chars de Combat in August of that year.... s
Light Tanks	192 ERC-90s, 300 AMX-10RCs
Reconnaissance vehicles	1100 VBL VBL The Panhard V?hicule Blind? L?ger is a wheeled Four_wheel_drive all-terrain vehicle offered in various configurations. It was designed to combine the agility of the Peugeot Peugeot P4 liaison vehicle with adequate protection against small arms fire, artillery fragments, Land mine and NBC .... s,
Infantry Fighting vehicle Infantry fighting vehicle An infantry fighting vehicle is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide fire support for them.... s	601 AMX-10P AMX-10P The AMX 10 P is a French infantry fighting vehicle. It was developed after 1965 to replace the AMX-VCI in French service, and the first prototypes were completed in 1968.... s. To be replaced by the VBCI Véhicule Blindé de Combat d'Infanterie The *V?hicule Blind? de Combat d'Infanterie* is a France armoured fighting vehicle designed to replace the AMX-10P. They are planned to join active service in 2008, with 550 combat vehicles and 150 command vehicles .... (550 combat version and 150 command version)
Armoured Personnel Carriers	3,800 VABs Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé The *V?hicule de l'Avant Blind?* or VAB is an armoured personnel carrier designed by the Euro Mobilit? Division of Nexter of France. It entered service in 1976 and around 5000 were produced....
Artillery Artillery Artillery is a military Combat Arms which employs any apparatus, machine, an assortment of tools or instruments, a system or systems used as weapons for the discharge of large projectiles in combat as a major contribution of fire power within the overall military capability of an armed force.... pieces and mortar Mortar (weapon) A mortar is a Muzzleloader indirect fire weapon that fires shell at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing Ballistics trajectories. It typically has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....	105 TRF1 TRF1 The 155mm towed cannon Tr-F1 is a France towed howitzer produced by GIAT and used by the French army.... s, 72 Caesar systems (currently being delivered), 134 AMX 30 AuF1 AMX 30 AuF1 The AMX 30 AuF1 is a self-propelled artillery vehicle using the AMX 30 tank hull.It is now in service in the French Army, which operates 134 units.... s , 48 MLRSs, MO-120-RT-61 Mortier 120mm Rayé Tracté Modèle F1 The *Mortier 120mm Ray? Tract? Mod?le F1* is a heavy mortar used by the French Army.The MO-120-RT-61 was designed by Thomson-Brandt. It is currently used by the French Army, and produced under licence by Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Brazil, Turkey and the USA....
Aircraft Aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle which is able to flight by being supported by the air, or in general, the atmosphere, of a planet. Examples include balloons, airplanes and helicopters....	5 Pilatus PC-6 Porter, 12 Socata TBM700
Helicopters	80 Eurocopter Tiger Eurocopter Tiger The Eurocopter Tiger is an attack helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter. In Germany it is known as the Tiger; in France and Spain it is called the Tigre.... s (12 already delivered), 8 EC-725 Eurocopter Cougar The Eurocopter AS 532 Cougar is a twin-engined, medium-weight, multipurpose helicopter. The AS 532 is a further development and upgrade of the A?rospatiale Puma in its militarized form.... s, 18 AS-555 Eurocopter Fennec The Eurocopter AS550 Fennec and AS555 Fennec 2 are lightweight, multipurpose military helicopters manufactured by Eurocopter. Based on the Eurocopter AS350 and Eurocopter AS355 series, they are named after the Fennec Fox.... s, 27 AS-532 Eurocopter Cougar The Eurocopter AS 532 Cougar is a twin-engined, medium-weight, multipurpose helicopter. The AS 532 is a further development and upgrade of the A?rospatiale Puma in its militarized form.... , 230 Gazelle Aérospatiale Gazelle The Gazelle is a France-designed helicopter, created by the company Sud Aviation, which later became A?rospatiale, and later still Eurocopter Group.... s, 90 SA-330s
Mine detection	5 Chubby (mine detection system) Chubby (mine detection system) Chubby is part of a mine-removal system developed by DCD-Dorbyl Rolling Stock Division of East Rand, Gauteng, South Africa.The system was developed in the 1970s for the South African Defence Force....
Motorcycles	Cagiva 350 T4

Photo Gallery

Principles and values

The principles and values of the French Army are formulated in the Code of the French Soldier:

External links

, George A. Bloch (includes explanations of the structure of command)

(*))

French Army

Organisation

Statistics

Photo Gallery

Principles and values

See also

External links