Base aérienne 705 Tours (François et Jean Tulasne)

Base aérienne 705 "François et Jean Tulasne" (BA 705 Tours) is a French Air Force base located primarily on the Tours St-Symphorien airport, spanning the communes of Tours and Parçay-Meslay in Indre-et-Loire. It housed the École de l'aviation de chasse 314 "Christian Martell" from 1961 to 2020. The base also includes the military control center of Cinq-Mars-la-Pile, as well as staff units and other services.

Historically, the Parcay-Meslay airfield was established on October 1, 1915, during World War I, serving as a pilot training school equipped with Caudron G III and G IV biplanes. In November 1917, the school was transferred to the Americans, becoming the 2nd Aviation Instruction Center (AIC), where they trained observation pilots, observers, and photographers using Caudron G III/IV, Sopwith 1 A2, and DH.4 aircraft.

After World War I, in 1919, the site reverted to French control, initially hosting the Groupement d'aviation no 1, which became the 1st Aviation Regiment on January 1, 1920, and subsequently the 31st Observation Aviation Regiment on August 1, 1920. The base was renamed Base aérienne 131 on January 1, 1934, and then Base aérienne 109 on January 1, 1936, transitioning from observation to a bombing squadron, equipped with Potez 540, Bloch MB.200, Bloch MB.210, and later LéO 45 and Breguet Br.693 aircraft.

From 1940, the base was occupied by the German army. After liberation, it hosted a pilot and instructor training school from Meknès, Morocco, using Dewoitine D.520 and Stampe SV4-A aircraft. In 1952, a new runway was constructed, allowing the base to host the "Lorraine" night fighter group, equipped with De Havilland Mosquito and Gloster Meteor, and later the 30th Night Fighter Wing with SO.4050 Vautour aircraft until 1961. In 1953, Tours airfield became a mixed-use airport, with the Air Force as the primary operator.

On March 6, 1961, the "Christian Martell" fighter aviation school from Meknès moved to Tours, and the base was officially designated Base Aérienne 705. It initially used Dassault Ouragan and T-33 aircraft. In 1965, the Detection and Control Center 07.927 (CDC) moved to Cinq-Mars-la-Pile. From 1961 to 1995, a detachment of French Naval Aviation personnel was also stationed at Tours for pilot training. In 1979, the school received its first Alphajet, which fully replaced the T-33s by 1981.

In 2013, the departure of the fighter school to Base Aérienne 709 Cognac-Châteaubernard was announced and confirmed in 2016. The last Alphajet flight from BA 705 occurred on June 5, 2020, marking the end of its flight training mission. The base is now divided: the airfield and hangars have been transferred to Tours airport, and the military base itself is primarily administrative. Current units stationed at BA 705 include the Centre Expert en Ressources Humaines de l'Armée de l'Air (CERHAA), the Direction des ressources humaines de l'armée de l'air (DRH-AA), the Centre de détection et de contrôle (CDC) 07.927, the État-major de la zone aérienne de défense (ZAD) Nord 10.542, and the Escadron de détection et de contrôle mobiles. Other related units are located in Brest-Loperhet (Centre Militaire de Coordination et de Contrôle 08.927) and Corcoué-sur-Logne (Centre relais radio annexe).