Base aérienne 107 Villacoublay (Sous-lieutenant René Dorme)

Base aérienne 107 Villacoublay, also known as "Sous-lieutenant René Dorme", is a French Air and Space Force air base located southwest of Paris, in the Yvelines and Essonne departments. The site has been occupied by military forces since 1911, and the air base was administratively created in 1936. It serves as a military airport.

Historically, the plateau of Villacoublay was a significant location for early aviation, hosting flight tests for balloons and aeroplanes from the mid-19th century. In 1884, the dirigible "La France" achieved the world's first closed-circuit flight from a hangar near the site. By 1910, several pilot schools, including those of Louis Charles Breguet and Morane-Saulnier, were established. The military progressively acquired the land, and by 1912, it was chosen for military aeronautical presentations. During World War I, the base served as a combat squadron center for the defense of Paris against German raids and continued its mission as a flight test center, developing crucial testing procedures. It was here that the Breguet XIV bomber made its first flight in 1916.

Between the world wars, Villacoublay became a central hub for the Centre d'essais du matériel aérien (CEMA) and a favored site for aviation records and air shows. In 1936, the military section officially became Base Aérienne 107. During World War II, the base was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe in June 1940 and subsequently occupied by the Germans for four years, serving as a repair facility for Junkers Ju 88 bombers and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters, and housing a fighter school. It became a target for Allied bombings in 1943-1944. After its liberation in August 1944, the base was used by American forces for fighter-bomber operations and an airlift, before being officially returned to France in January 1947. The flight test activities were transferred to Brétigny-sur-Orge.

Since 1945, the base has focused on liaison missions and the transport of government officials. It hosts the Escadron de transport 60 (ET 60), responsible for transporting the President of the Republic and governmental authorities using aircraft like the Airbus A330-200, Falcon 7X, Falcon 900, Falcon 2000, and Super Puma helicopters (though the A330 is based at Évreux-Fauville due to runway length). Other units include the Escadron d'hélicoptères 3/67 Parisis on AS 555 Fennec, and the Escadron de transport 41 Verdun for military high-authority transport on TBM 700. Non-flying units such as the Escadrille Aéro Sanitaire (EAS) 6/560 "Étampes" for medical evacuations and the Escadron de Soutien Technique Aéronautique (ESTA) are also present. Additionally, inter-service units like the Commandement de la gendarmerie de l'air et de l'espace (CGAE), Commandement des opérations spéciales (COS), and the Groupe interarmées d'hélicoptères (GIH) are stationed at Villacoublay.