France starts reconstruction of Luxeuil Air Base to host two Rafale F5 nuclear squadrons by 2036
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On July 25, 2026, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces awarded the initial preparatory engineering contracts for the full reconstruction of Air Base 116 at Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur. The €1.5 billion infrastructure initiative executes the strategic force restructuring announced by President Emmanuel Macron to establish the site as France’s fourth nuclear air base. This transformation will adapt the site to support two Strategic Air Forces squadrons operating approximately 50 Rafale F5 fighters integrated with the ASN4G hypersonic nuclear missile.
The €1.5 billion procurement plan expands permanent base personnel from 1,200 to nearly 2,000 by 2035, quadrupling the pilot population and expanding maintenance staff from 300 to 800 personnel. Flight operations will cease from 2029 to 2032 to allow complete runway and facilities reconstruction ahead of initial Rafale F5 deliveries in 2032 and final dual-squadron operational readiness by 2036.
Related topic: French nuclear-armed Rafale fighters could operate from Belgium under new deterrence plan
The first Rafales are expected to arrive at Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur in 2032, the first nuclear squadron is planned to become operational in 2033, and the second should enter service in 2036. (Picture source: French MoD)
On July 25, 2026, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces awarded the first preparatory contracts for the reconstruction of Air Base 116 at Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur, formally beginning its conversion into France’s fourth nuclear air base. The decision implements the force structure announced by President Emmanuel Macron at Luxeuil on March 18, 2025, under which the base will receive two Strategic Air Forces squadrons operating close to 50 two-seat Rafale F5 fighters equipped for the future ASN4G nuclear missile. The reconstruction is valued at close to €1.5 billion, equivalent to more than €3 million of infrastructure investment for each additional permanent post created if measured against the planned increase of 800 military and civilian personnel.
The base workforce is expected to rise from about 1,200 personnel in 2025 to nearly 2,000 by 2035, while the number of maintainers will increase from about 300 to 800 and the pilot population will quadruple. Major construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, all flying activity is expected to stop in 2029, the first Rafales should arrive in 2032, the first squadron is planned to become operational in 2033, and the second in 2036. Luxeuil will also become the first French air base specifically designed around the Rafale F5 and ASN4G combination, restoring a nuclear role that ended in 2011. The July 2026 contract awards begin the engineering and site-preparation phase rather than the construction of isolated buildings.
The Defence Infrastructure Service will manage execution with the French Air and Space Force, while the Directorate General of Armaments must synchronize the infrastructure schedule with the delivery of aircraft, weapons, communications equipment, simulators and associated operational systems. The first contracts cover surveys, engineering studies, design preparation, utility assessments and the work needed to define how aircraft movement areas, secure buildings and support networks will be reconstructed from 2027. Current procurement includes adaptation of the aeronautical areas, a dedicated information technology building and a separate simulator building, while the two future squadrons are provisionally identified in infrastructure planning as RAF7 and RAF8, with RAF7 associated with the first squadron expected in 2033 and RAF8 with the second expected in 2036.
Peak construction manpower is expected to reach between 1,500 and 2,000 workers, meaning the temporary construction population could equal or exceed the base’s current permanent workforce. That scale requires controlled entry points for civilian contractors, separation between classified and non-classified zones, management of heavy construction traffic and coordination with nearby municipalities for accommodation, roads and public services. Luxeuil Saint-Sauveur Air Base, or BA 116, occupies 477 hectares and has a 2,433-meter concrete runway built to NATO standards, but the runway’s length is not the limiting factor for the future Rafale force. Much of the installation dates from the modernization effort carried out between 1950 and 1953, when Luxeuil was converted from an older airfield into a permanent jet base, leaving many buildings and support networks more than seventy years old.
The reconstruction covers the runway surface, taxiways, aircraft parking aprons, roads, vehicle areas, hangars, maintenance buildings, dry utilities, water networks, drainage, accommodation, dining facilities and operational headquarters. Additional facilities are required for classified information systems, nuclear mission planning, simulation, aircraft servicing, weapons preparation, protected communications and restricted-access operations. Flying activity is expected to stop completely from 2029 because the work will extend across the central operating area, including the runway, taxiways, parking zones and maintenance sections, making continued daily Mirage 2000-5F fighter operations incompatible with cranes, excavation equipment and hundreds of construction vehicles.
The three-year interval between the expected end of Mirage activity in 2029 and the first Rafale arrivals in 2032 is intended to provide access to the whole airfield, but it also removes Luxeuil from the French fighter-base network during the most intensive construction phase. In practical terms, France is rebuilding almost every function surrounding the runway while retaining the existing 477-hectare footprint. The future force will be considerably larger and more manpower-intensive than the current Mirage 2000-5F organization. Luxeuil now hosts the 2nd Fighter Wing and Fighter Squadron 1/2 “Cigognes,” with a force focused on air policing, interception, NATO Baltic deployments and missions from Djibouti. The present establishment of about 1,200 personnel supports one flying squadron, whereas the future structure requires nearly 2,000 personnel for two Strategic Air Forces squadrons, an increase of close to 67%.
The maintenance organization alone is expected to expand by 500 personnel, from about 300 to 800, meaning maintainers will account for close to 40% of the future permanent workforce. The planned inventory of close to 50 fighters implies a nominal squadron strength near 25 Rafales, although each squadron’s daily available force will be lower after accounting for scheduled maintenance, modifications, training aircraft, inspections and unserviceable airframes. The aircraft are expected to be Rafale B two-seat variants because each nuclear mission uses a pilot and a weapon systems officer (WSO), doubling cockpit crew requirements compared with the single-seat Mirage 2000-5F currently used at Luxeuil. The WSO manages navigation, communications, electronic warfare, threat monitoring, mission timing, tanker coordination and nuclear weapon procedures, allowing the pilot to concentrate on aircraft handling and tactical penetration.
This two-person crew model requires more simulator hours, more instructors, more mission rehearsals and a larger classified planning organization for the same number of aircraft sorties. The personnel increase is consequently driven not only by the number of Rafales but also by the shift from an air defense mission with one squadron to a nuclear strike mission requiring dual aircrews, specialized maintenance, protected communications and continuous security. The Rafale F5 standard is intended to provide the computing power, sensor fusion, electronic warfare architecture, communications bandwidth and weapons interfaces required to carry the French nuclear missile and operate with future uncrewed combat aircraft. For nuclear missions, the central change is the integration of the ASN4G, which is planned to replace the ASMPA-R after 2035.
The missile is intended to reach hypersonic velocity, maneuver during flight, and reduce the probability of interception by future air defense and missile defense systems. It will be carried by the Strategic Air Forces and by French Naval Aviation, preserving both land-based and carrier-based airborne nuclear options. Luxeuil is expected to become the first base built specifically to support this aircraft-and-missile combination, which means its facilities must be ready at the same time as the weapon reaches operational service. The base will require nuclear-certified storage, inspection and preparation facilities, secure mission data systems, protected communications, dedicated maintenance areas and simulators capable of reproducing long-range nuclear strike profiles.
The former special munitions depot function was dismantled or deactivated after Luxeuil left the nuclear mission in 2011, so France must rebuild the storage and preparation chain rather than simply reopen a continuously maintained facility. Nuclear certification will also require new hardened access control, additional armed security, personnel vetting, emergency-response procedures, fire protection, explosive-safety distances and an air defense arrangement capable of protecting the storage area, aircraft shelters and command facilities. Major work begins in 2027, flying stops in 2029, and the first Rafales arrive in 2032, leaving three years to rebuild the runway environment and the principal operational facilities. The first squadron is expected to become operational in 2033, only one year after the initial aircraft arrive, which requires aircrews, maintainers, simulators, mission-planning systems, communications and security certifications to be available almost immediately.
The second squadron is planned for 2036, while the permanent workforce should already reach close to 2,000 by 2035, requiring personnel reassignment, recruitment, housing and local support capacity to precede the full nuclear buildup. The schedule also assumes that Rafale F5 development, ASN4G integration and base certification progress on compatible timelines, although all three programs have separate test, production and approval processes. A delay in the missile could produce a Rafale F5 squadron without its intended nuclear weapon, while a delay in the aircraft could leave completed nuclear facilities without enough aircraft to generate the planned force. A delay in the airfield or simulator program could prevent aircraft delivery and crew conversion even if Dassault Aviation and MBDA meet their schedules.
France must also manage the removal or relocation of the Mirage 2000-5F mission from Luxeuil without reducing its national air policing and NATO commitments during the construction period. The critical path therefore runs through several organizations at once, including the Defence Infrastructure Service, the Directorate General of Armaments, the French Air and Space Force, Dassault Aviation, MBDA and the security authorities responsible for nuclear certification. Luxeuil has operated nuclear aircraft before, but the previous force structure was built for different weapons and Cold War operating concepts. The base entered the deterrent in May 1966 with Bombardment Squadron 3/94 “Arbois” and Mirage IVA bombers carrying the AN-22 nuclear bomb, which had a yield of 70 kilotons.
The AN-52 tactical nuclear bomb entered service at Luxeuil in 1973, and Mirage IIIE aircraft of the 4th Fighter Wing were assigned to the tactical nuclear mission before the Mirage 2000N arrived. Eleven Mirage 2000Ns reached Luxeuil on March 30, 1988, initially at the K1 standard, which was configured primarily for the ASMP nuclear missile and self-defense rockets and lacked the broader conventional strike functions added by the later K2 standard. Fighter Squadron 1/4 “Dauphiné” began nuclear alert duties in July 1988, followed by Fighter Squadron 2/4 “La Fayette” on July 1, 1989. The base therefore supported three generations of French nuclear weapons, the AN-22, AN-52 and ASMP. Post-Cold War reductions eliminated that structure in stages, including the dissolution of “Dauphiné,” the local air defense squadron and Depot-Workshop for Special Munitions 13.004, followed by the transfer of “La Fayette” to Istres in 2011.
Luxeuil then received 23 Mirage 2000-5Fs from Dijon and shifted to air superiority and air policing, while the 2nd Fighter Wing was reactivated on September 3, 2015. The current program reverses that contraction but does not restore the old configuration, because Rafale F5, ASN4G, modern communications and current security requirements demand a substantially different base layout after a fifteen-year interruption. Luxeuil is one element of a French nuclear modernization effort whose annual cost increased from €3.9-4.1 billion in 2017, when Macron was elected, to €7.4 billion in 2026, a nominal rise close to 80%. Spending reached €4.7 billion in 2020, €5.6 billion in 2023, more than €6 billion in 2024 and €6.5 billion in 2025 before reaching the 2026 level.
Nuclear programs now absorb 13 to 14% of the Ministry of the Armed Forces’ annual investment budget, with €6.1 billion in 2026 funded through Programme 146 and the remainder carried through military nuclear, infrastructure and support accounts. France is also replacing all its principal delivery systems at the same time: four L’Invincible ballistic-missile submarines will replace the Triomphant-class, the M51.3 and later M51.4 missiles will replace the M51.2, the ASN4G will replace the ASMPA-R and the Rafale F5 will replace the current F3R and F4 nuclear configurations. Macron also expanded the European role of French deterrence, first on February 7, 2020, when he stated that French vital interests had a European dimension, and again on March 2, 2026, when he introduced the forward deterrence concept.
The new 2026 deterrence plan also allows allied conventional forces to participate in French strategic exercises, selected European officers to join consultations, nuclear-capable Rafales to deploy temporarily to allied territory, and nuclear forces to be coordinated more closely with missile defense, long-range strike, cyber, space, and intelligence capabilities. Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Greece and the United Kingdom have been associated with or expressed interest in the framework, with Germany taking the most concrete step through conventional participation in a French nuclear exercise and a dedicated bilateral deterrence dialogue. Luxeuil therefore expands the physical capacity of the national deterrent while providing an additional location from which France can conduct deployments, exercises and strategic signaling.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
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On July 25, 2026, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces awarded the initial preparatory engineering contracts for the full reconstruction of Air Base 116 at Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur. The €1.5 billion infrastructure initiative executes the strategic force restructuring announced by President Emmanuel Macron to establish the site as France’s fourth nuclear air base. This transformation will adapt the site to support two Strategic Air Forces squadrons operating approximately 50 Rafale F5 fighters integrated with the ASN4G hypersonic nuclear missile.
The €1.5 billion procurement plan expands permanent base personnel from 1,200 to nearly 2,000 by 2035, quadrupling the pilot population and expanding maintenance staff from 300 to 800 personnel. Flight operations will cease from 2029 to 2032 to allow complete runway and facilities reconstruction ahead of initial Rafale F5 deliveries in 2032 and final dual-squadron operational readiness by 2036.
Related topic: French nuclear-armed Rafale fighters could operate from Belgium under new deterrence plan
The first Rafales are expected to arrive at Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur in 2032, the first nuclear squadron is planned to become operational in 2033, and the second should enter service in 2036. (Picture source: French MoD)
On July 25, 2026, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces awarded the first preparatory contracts for the reconstruction of Air Base 116 at Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur, formally beginning its conversion into France’s fourth nuclear air base. The decision implements the force structure announced by President Emmanuel Macron at Luxeuil on March 18, 2025, under which the base will receive two Strategic Air Forces squadrons operating close to 50 two-seat Rafale F5 fighters equipped for the future ASN4G nuclear missile. The reconstruction is valued at close to €1.5 billion, equivalent to more than €3 million of infrastructure investment for each additional permanent post created if measured against the planned increase of 800 military and civilian personnel.
The base workforce is expected to rise from about 1,200 personnel in 2025 to nearly 2,000 by 2035, while the number of maintainers will increase from about 300 to 800 and the pilot population will quadruple. Major construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, all flying activity is expected to stop in 2029, the first Rafales should arrive in 2032, the first squadron is planned to become operational in 2033, and the second in 2036. Luxeuil will also become the first French air base specifically designed around the Rafale F5 and ASN4G combination, restoring a nuclear role that ended in 2011. The July 2026 contract awards begin the engineering and site-preparation phase rather than the construction of isolated buildings.
The Defence Infrastructure Service will manage execution with the French Air and Space Force, while the Directorate General of Armaments must synchronize the infrastructure schedule with the delivery of aircraft, weapons, communications equipment, simulators and associated operational systems. The first contracts cover surveys, engineering studies, design preparation, utility assessments and the work needed to define how aircraft movement areas, secure buildings and support networks will be reconstructed from 2027. Current procurement includes adaptation of the aeronautical areas, a dedicated information technology building and a separate simulator building, while the two future squadrons are provisionally identified in infrastructure planning as RAF7 and RAF8, with RAF7 associated with the first squadron expected in 2033 and RAF8 with the second expected in 2036.
Peak construction manpower is expected to reach between 1,500 and 2,000 workers, meaning the temporary construction population could equal or exceed the base’s current permanent workforce. That scale requires controlled entry points for civilian contractors, separation between classified and non-classified zones, management of heavy construction traffic and coordination with nearby municipalities for accommodation, roads and public services. Luxeuil Saint-Sauveur Air Base, or BA 116, occupies 477 hectares and has a 2,433-meter concrete runway built to NATO standards, but the runway’s length is not the limiting factor for the future Rafale force. Much of the installation dates from the modernization effort carried out between 1950 and 1953, when Luxeuil was converted from an older airfield into a permanent jet base, leaving many buildings and support networks more than seventy years old.
The reconstruction covers the runway surface, taxiways, aircraft parking aprons, roads, vehicle areas, hangars, maintenance buildings, dry utilities, water networks, drainage, accommodation, dining facilities and operational headquarters. Additional facilities are required for classified information systems, nuclear mission planning, simulation, aircraft servicing, weapons preparation, protected communications and restricted-access operations. Flying activity is expected to stop completely from 2029 because the work will extend across the central operating area, including the runway, taxiways, parking zones and maintenance sections, making continued daily Mirage 2000-5F fighter operations incompatible with cranes, excavation equipment and hundreds of construction vehicles.
The three-year interval between the expected end of Mirage activity in 2029 and the first Rafale arrivals in 2032 is intended to provide access to the whole airfield, but it also removes Luxeuil from the French fighter-base network during the most intensive construction phase. In practical terms, France is rebuilding almost every function surrounding the runway while retaining the existing 477-hectare footprint. The future force will be considerably larger and more manpower-intensive than the current Mirage 2000-5F organization. Luxeuil now hosts the 2nd Fighter Wing and Fighter Squadron 1/2 “Cigognes,” with a force focused on air policing, interception, NATO Baltic deployments and missions from Djibouti. The present establishment of about 1,200 personnel supports one flying squadron, whereas the future structure requires nearly 2,000 personnel for two Strategic Air Forces squadrons, an increase of close to 67%.
The maintenance organization alone is expected to expand by 500 personnel, from about 300 to 800, meaning maintainers will account for close to 40% of the future permanent workforce. The planned inventory of close to 50 fighters implies a nominal squadron strength near 25 Rafales, although each squadron’s daily available force will be lower after accounting for scheduled maintenance, modifications, training aircraft, inspections and unserviceable airframes. The aircraft are expected to be Rafale B two-seat variants because each nuclear mission uses a pilot and a weapon systems officer (WSO), doubling cockpit crew requirements compared with the single-seat Mirage 2000-5F currently used at Luxeuil. The WSO manages navigation, communications, electronic warfare, threat monitoring, mission timing, tanker coordination and nuclear weapon procedures, allowing the pilot to concentrate on aircraft handling and tactical penetration.
This two-person crew model requires more simulator hours, more instructors, more mission rehearsals and a larger classified planning organization for the same number of aircraft sorties. The personnel increase is consequently driven not only by the number of Rafales but also by the shift from an air defense mission with one squadron to a nuclear strike mission requiring dual aircrews, specialized maintenance, protected communications and continuous security. The Rafale F5 standard is intended to provide the computing power, sensor fusion, electronic warfare architecture, communications bandwidth and weapons interfaces required to carry the French nuclear missile and operate with future uncrewed combat aircraft. For nuclear missions, the central change is the integration of the ASN4G, which is planned to replace the ASMPA-R after 2035.
The missile is intended to reach hypersonic velocity, maneuver during flight, and reduce the probability of interception by future air defense and missile defense systems. It will be carried by the Strategic Air Forces and by French Naval Aviation, preserving both land-based and carrier-based airborne nuclear options. Luxeuil is expected to become the first base built specifically to support this aircraft-and-missile combination, which means its facilities must be ready at the same time as the weapon reaches operational service. The base will require nuclear-certified storage, inspection and preparation facilities, secure mission data systems, protected communications, dedicated maintenance areas and simulators capable of reproducing long-range nuclear strike profiles.
The former special munitions depot function was dismantled or deactivated after Luxeuil left the nuclear mission in 2011, so France must rebuild the storage and preparation chain rather than simply reopen a continuously maintained facility. Nuclear certification will also require new hardened access control, additional armed security, personnel vetting, emergency-response procedures, fire protection, explosive-safety distances and an air defense arrangement capable of protecting the storage area, aircraft shelters and command facilities. Major work begins in 2027, flying stops in 2029, and the first Rafales arrive in 2032, leaving three years to rebuild the runway environment and the principal operational facilities. The first squadron is expected to become operational in 2033, only one year after the initial aircraft arrive, which requires aircrews, maintainers, simulators, mission-planning systems, communications and security certifications to be available almost immediately.
The second squadron is planned for 2036, while the permanent workforce should already reach close to 2,000 by 2035, requiring personnel reassignment, recruitment, housing and local support capacity to precede the full nuclear buildup. The schedule also assumes that Rafale F5 development, ASN4G integration and base certification progress on compatible timelines, although all three programs have separate test, production and approval processes. A delay in the missile could produce a Rafale F5 squadron without its intended nuclear weapon, while a delay in the aircraft could leave completed nuclear facilities without enough aircraft to generate the planned force. A delay in the airfield or simulator program could prevent aircraft delivery and crew conversion even if Dassault Aviation and MBDA meet their schedules.
France must also manage the removal or relocation of the Mirage 2000-5F mission from Luxeuil without reducing its national air policing and NATO commitments during the construction period. The critical path therefore runs through several organizations at once, including the Defence Infrastructure Service, the Directorate General of Armaments, the French Air and Space Force, Dassault Aviation, MBDA and the security authorities responsible for nuclear certification. Luxeuil has operated nuclear aircraft before, but the previous force structure was built for different weapons and Cold War operating concepts. The base entered the deterrent in May 1966 with Bombardment Squadron 3/94 “Arbois” and Mirage IVA bombers carrying the AN-22 nuclear bomb, which had a yield of 70 kilotons.
The AN-52 tactical nuclear bomb entered service at Luxeuil in 1973, and Mirage IIIE aircraft of the 4th Fighter Wing were assigned to the tactical nuclear mission before the Mirage 2000N arrived. Eleven Mirage 2000Ns reached Luxeuil on March 30, 1988, initially at the K1 standard, which was configured primarily for the ASMP nuclear missile and self-defense rockets and lacked the broader conventional strike functions added by the later K2 standard. Fighter Squadron 1/4 “Dauphiné” began nuclear alert duties in July 1988, followed by Fighter Squadron 2/4 “La Fayette” on July 1, 1989. The base therefore supported three generations of French nuclear weapons, the AN-22, AN-52 and ASMP. Post-Cold War reductions eliminated that structure in stages, including the dissolution of “Dauphiné,” the local air defense squadron and Depot-Workshop for Special Munitions 13.004, followed by the transfer of “La Fayette” to Istres in 2011.
Luxeuil then received 23 Mirage 2000-5Fs from Dijon and shifted to air superiority and air policing, while the 2nd Fighter Wing was reactivated on September 3, 2015. The current program reverses that contraction but does not restore the old configuration, because Rafale F5, ASN4G, modern communications and current security requirements demand a substantially different base layout after a fifteen-year interruption. Luxeuil is one element of a French nuclear modernization effort whose annual cost increased from €3.9-4.1 billion in 2017, when Macron was elected, to €7.4 billion in 2026, a nominal rise close to 80%. Spending reached €4.7 billion in 2020, €5.6 billion in 2023, more than €6 billion in 2024 and €6.5 billion in 2025 before reaching the 2026 level.
Nuclear programs now absorb 13 to 14% of the Ministry of the Armed Forces’ annual investment budget, with €6.1 billion in 2026 funded through Programme 146 and the remainder carried through military nuclear, infrastructure and support accounts. France is also replacing all its principal delivery systems at the same time: four L’Invincible ballistic-missile submarines will replace the Triomphant-class, the M51.3 and later M51.4 missiles will replace the M51.2, the ASN4G will replace the ASMPA-R and the Rafale F5 will replace the current F3R and F4 nuclear configurations. Macron also expanded the European role of French deterrence, first on February 7, 2020, when he stated that French vital interests had a European dimension, and again on March 2, 2026, when he introduced the forward deterrence concept.
The new 2026 deterrence plan also allows allied conventional forces to participate in French strategic exercises, selected European officers to join consultations, nuclear-capable Rafales to deploy temporarily to allied territory, and nuclear forces to be coordinated more closely with missile defense, long-range strike, cyber, space, and intelligence capabilities. Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Greece and the United Kingdom have been associated with or expressed interest in the framework, with Germany taking the most concrete step through conventional participation in a French nuclear exercise and a dedicated bilateral deterrence dialogue. Luxeuil therefore expands the physical capacity of the national deterrent while providing an additional location from which France can conduct deployments, exercises and strategic signaling.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
Explore More Defense News
• Land Defense News
• Naval Defense News
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