Luxeuil-les-Bains is a town in the beautiful Haute-Saone department and is long known as a center of health thanks to its thermal baths. For centuries, people came here for treatments and rest, shaping the town’s identity around wellness and care. In recent decades, however, the population has been gradually decreasing. But not every inhabitant of Luxeuil is working in the health industry: south of the city you can find Airbase BA-116 Luxeuil, home of Escadron GC 01.002 Cigognes. The Escadron is made up of three Escadrlles, Spa 73, Spa 3 and Spa 103. “The Storks” fly the Mirage 2000-5F. On a blazing hot 11 July 2023 we visited Luxeuil AB.

The history
The history of the airbase goes back to World War I when it was created for the French Aeronautique Militaire. In the following decades lots of different aircraft operated from Luxeuil AB. The more recent decades, French aircraft manufacturer Dassault was the main provider of aircraft on this base. In the late fifties and early sixties the Dassault Mystère IVA was stationed at Luxeuil, followed by multiple versions of the Mirage III. In the eighties the Mirage 2000 arrived at Luxeuil. The B and C version in the eighties and nineties, supplemented with the N version for nuclear missions from the late eighties until 2010. When losing its nuclear task, the Mirage 2000N was replaced by the Mirage 2000-5F. When we visited the airbase in 2023 there were approximately 20 Mirages based at Luxeuil.

The future
In the upcoming years the Mirage 2000 will be phased out in favor of Dassault’s more advanced Rafale. Under current French defense planning, the air force is transitioning toward an “all-Rafale” fleet, with Rafales projected to replace the Mirage 2000 entirely by the mid-2030s.
BA-116 Luxeuil will be closed between 2029 and 2032 for major changes to get ready for the arrival of the first Rafales. After the works, the base will be twice the size it is now, will have completely new shelters and hangars, and will have a tougher and longer runway. After a € 1.7 billion investment, the airbase will re-open in 2035 and will have around 50 Rafales on station. The base will also get its nuclear task back, that it lost in 2011.

Our article about the visit to Luxieul airbase is published in the December 2023 issue of Full Stop Magazine