Istres Air Base (Base aérienne d'Istres, Base aérienne 125, BA 125) is a large base of the French Air Force, located near Istres, north of Marseille, in Bouches-du-Rhône, France. Organization The French armed forces are divided into four branches: Army (Armée de Terre), including Chasseurs Alpins French Foreign Legion Marine troops light aviation (ALAT - Aviation Légére de lArmée de Terre) engineers (Génie) including Paris Fire Brigade Navy (Marine Nationale), including Naval Air naval... Categories: France geography stubs | Communes of Bouches-du-Rhône ... Marseilles redirects here. ... Bouches-du-Rhône is a département in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhone River. ...
The base serves as a repair facility and a training ground.
It has a stockpile of middle-range nuclear missiles. A nuclear missile is a type of: missile nuclear weapon It could also refer to a missile with some form of nuclear propulsion, such as the Project Pluto cruise missile. ...
It is a potential emergency landing site for a Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL) of the Space Shuttle. Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying animal or aircraft returns to the ground. ... The Space Shuttle Columbia seconds after engine ignition, 1981 (NASA). ...
IstresAirBase (Base Aérienne 125 or BA 125) is a large multi role tasked airbase located at 43°31′28″N, 4°56′30″E, near Istres, north of Marseille.
The main user of the base is the French Air Force.
As the bases runway is 5 km long and 60 m wide it is the longest one in Europe and a potential emergency landing site for a Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL) of the Space Shuttle.
Istres AB (known to the French as Base Aerienne 125 or BA-125) was activated during return-to-flight preparations to provide another high inclination site.
The Istres area is heavily influenced by its proximity to the major port city of Marseille, the second-largest city in France with a population of around 800,000 inhabitants.
Istres AB is a major employer in the local area, with both active French Air Force (FAF) units and French civilian aviation companies located there.
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