French Naval Aviation Aeronavale Patch Base BAN Nimes Garons

French Naval Aviation Aeronavale Patch Base BAN Nimes Garons Late 1970s Embroidered on felt cut edge 115mm by 79mm four and one half inches by three and one eighth inches.

Free Shipping

French Naval Aviation Aeronavale is the naval air arm of the French Navy. Aeronavale has four components namely the air complements of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle the Naval air patrol units the on board ships helicopters and land based Support units. French Naval aviation operates from four airbases in France and several detachments in foreign countries or French overseas territories.

BAN Nimes Garons is located on the South coast of France close to the city of Nimes approximately 10 miles from the Mediteraenian Sea and was established in 1961. Operational squadrons are known as Flotilles and normal consist of 12 aircraft. Squadrons 1F Flotille to 10F are carrier based anti-submarine squadrons 11F to 20F are fighter and attack squadrons 21F to 30F are maritime patrol squadrons 31F to 39F are helicopter squadrons. Shore based training and transport flights are known as Escadrilles de Servitude and 1S Servitude to 19S are communications squadrons 20S to 29S are helicopters squadrons and 50S to 59S are training squadrons.

BAN Nimes Garons was assigned as home base for Flotilla 6F when not embarked on an aircraft carrier in 1961 and was equipped with Br 1050 Alize aircraft with Flotila 21F and 22F assigned in 1962 to operate maritime patrols from the base equipped with PV 2 Neptunes converting to Br Atlantic aircraft in 1964 and 56S was assigned in 1964.

22F was inactivated in 1996 and the Training and Instruction Centre IEC Nimes Garons was established in 1997. Flottile 6F was inactivated in 2000. 56S inactivated in 2002 with Flottile 28F arriving the same year equipped with EMB 121 Xingu aircraft. The Navy Patrol Surveillance and Maritime Intervention Expertise Centre CENTEX PATSIMAR was established at Nimes Garons in 2008.

Flying operations ceased units relocated and BAN Nimes Garons was closed in July 2010 and handed to civilian authorities although an French Army Defence Base BDD remains housing 503 Supply Train Regiment.

This patch dates from the late 1970s