Air base 200 Apt-Saint-Christol

The Air base 200 of Apt-Saint-Christol is an old air base of the French Air force located on the plates of the Monts of Vaucluse, near the town of Apt in the Vaucluse.

The major unit of the base was the 1st Group of strategic missiles of the Plateau of Albion.

The base was officially closed on June 16th, 1999.

At the time of the summer 1999, the base was famous Quartier Koenig and shelters from now on the 2nd foreign engineering regiment of the Foreign legion. Since 2003, the base also accommodates a station of listening of DGSE.

The strategic site

History

It is at the end of years 1950 that the Général de Gaulle decides to equip the France with the atomic Arme. The Deterrent force will have to rest on three vectors: SNLE, the strategic Bombers (Mirage IV) and missile silos.

From 1963 of research are carried out in Corsica, in the the Vosges, the Massif Central and Drome. The Plateau of Albion will be finally selected in April 1965 because of its human weak density and its ground, able to allow a good anchoring of the silos containing the missiles but also able to deaden the shock wave in the event of nuclear aggression. At the beginning of 1966 it is decided to build 27 silos, 3 driver's cabs of shooting (PCT) on a total of 785 hectares and Air base 200 Apt-Saint-Christol on a total of 406 hectares. To final only the 18 silos and 2 PCT will be built (restriction of budget).

Work began in spring 1966 to finish in 1971, the operational installations represent 260.000 m ³ scouring, 540.000 m ³ of earthworks and 150.000 m ³ of concrete. At the same time all the highway network of the area is modernized to allow the passage of the military convoys.

In 1967 is created the 1st Grouping of strategic missiles (1st GMS) depend on the French air force to occupy the installations of Albion. Many other units will be created to take care of the safety of the site of which the Escadron of helicopters 4/67 the Durance in 1975 and the Squadron of Protection EP 21.200 in 1968 which gathers a section of command, a cynogroupe and 4 companies of parachutists.

From 1971 to 1996 the BA200 and the missiles of the plate of Albion will become the places most secret and best kept France.

In September 1996, President Jacques Chirac announces the closing and the dismantling of the installations of Albion, because of the evolution of the European géostratégie (falls of the Eastern bloc) and of the ageing of the too expensive missiles in maintenance and not being worth the sorrow to be modernized. At the end of 1996, the Ministry for Defense announces that more than 1000 legionaries will take over 1st GMS on the BA200.

Work of dismantling lasted 2 years and finished in 1999. The squadrons started to leave in August 1998 then it was the turn of the teams of ECA and followed in December of the teams of the Aerospatiale. The transfer of power with the profit of the Foreign legion was carried out during the summer 1999.

Installations

On the 27 silos and the 3 PCT envisaged in the beginning, only 18 silos and 2 PCT were carried out due to budgetary restrictions.

Each silo is equipped with its auxiliary shelter, and distant of 3 km its neighbor so that only one attack cannot destroy several sites at the same time and that strike nuclear simultaneous their effects cancel (2 simultaneous nuclear explosions cancel most of their mechanical effects).

The missiles were monitored night and day and were ordered remotely starting from 2 Driver's cabs of Shooting (PCT), built under ground, to 400 m of depth. Each PCT is in load of 9 zones of launching. The PCT 2 was in Drome close to Reilhannette and the other, PCT 1, in Vaucluse close to Rustrel, to 30 km one of the other. True bunkers dissimulated under several hundred meters of rock, the PCT were designed to not only resist any nuclear attack, but also to avoid any intrusion thanks to long galleries with right angles of almost 2 km length. Work of the PCT 1 lasted two years of November 1966 in March 1969. The building site of the PCT 2 started in July 1969 to finish in March 1970. 40.000 m3 of concrete were necessary to the PCT 1 and 46.000 tons with the PCT 2.

Reconversion

During the summer 1999, BA 200 was renamed Quartier Koenig Marshal and currently accommodates 1000 legionaries of the 2nd foreign engineering regiment. The landing strip and the tower of control are henceforth abandoned. Since 2003, the Koenig District shelters also a station of listening of the DGSE which employs 150 people.

After the dismantling of the missiles, the majority of the silos were walled and left with the abandonment. One of the silos was transformed into public astronomical observatory (SIREN) and one of the PCT in underground laboratory with low noise (LSBB), depend on the University of Nice. This laboratory since 2006 is developed near the industrialists by a company called INSEET (www.inseet.com) installed on Rustrel. ONERA also installed the receiver of the Radar LOW REGISTERS on one of the zones of launching.

References

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