2018-01-06 According to an article published by the French Air Force on January 4, 2018, a FAF AWACS was deployed from December 9-15 2017 in support of operations in French Guiana, which is located on the northeast coast of South America.
The mission was in support of providing a protective air bubble for the launch of an Ariane rocket.
The AWACS radar was used to monitor the coastline of Guiana. Working with the Navy the French force was able to provide “a precise map” of the operational area.
The AWACS with refueling support was able to provide wide area coverage during the operation.
The FAF has provided integrated force packages throughout its history, and is one of the key allied air forces which has continued to build out comprehensive strike and support forces. France like other key allied militaries is facing significant ops tempo and financial pressures to be able to maintain balanced force capabilities.