| Taverny Air Base | |
|---|---|
| Base Aérienne 921 "Frères Mahé" de Taverny | |
 | |
| Country | France |
| Branch | Armee de l'Air |
| Role | command center |
Taverny Air Base (formerly Base Aérienne 921 "Frères Mahé" de Taverny) (ICAO: LFPJ[1]) is located in the communities of Taverny and Bessancourt in the Val d'Oise département of France, twenty kilometers north of Paris. Until 2011 it was the headquarters of the French Air Force nuclear strike force, with an underground command center.[2][3]
The base is divided into three tiers with an area of approximately 15 hectares:
- The first tier is underground in a former gypsum quarry beneath the Forest of Montmorency. The facility comprised the hardened command facility for the French Air Force.
- The second tier is on the surface, and provided support services for the underground command center.
- The third tier is at the top of the hill, with facilities for secure military communications.
There were no aviation facilities apart from a heliport.
- ^ "ICAO Location Indicators by State" (PDF). International Civil Aviation Organization. 2006-01-12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
- ^ Arkin, William M.; Fieldhouse, Richard W. (1985). Nuclear Battlefields: Global Links in the Arms Race. Institute for Policy Studies. p. 287. ISBN 0-88730-002-2.
- ^ Norris, Robert S.; Burrows, Andrew S.; Fieldhouse, Richard W. (1994). Nuclear Weapons Databook Volume V: British, French, and Chinese Nuclear Weapons. Westview Press. p. 236. ISBN 0-8133-1612-X.