At Mont-de-Marsan, pilots are training to fight when satellites and radios go silent.

France’s Air and Space Force has launched its annual Volfa exercise at the Mont-de-Marsan air base in the Landes, running from late September to 10 October 2025. Around 1,000 personnel and some 50 aircraft are taking part, including French Rafale and Mirage 2000 fighters alongside Italian Tornado and Greek F-16 jets, in scenarios designed to mirror the complexity of modern air combat.

This year’s edition places unusual weight on electronic warfare. Crews are being pushed to operate under intense jamming, with navigation and communications degraded or denied, forcing pilots to fly, fight and coordinate without GPS or reliable radio. Unmanned systems add another layer: drones are being flown as adversaries to sharpen detection, tracking and interception skills across the force.

For the first time, territorial reserve squadrons are integrated into the drills, reflecting a wider effort to expand the pool of deployable personnel. The training also embraces Agile Combat Employment principles, preparing units to disperse rapidly from threatened main bases and operate from austere locations with minimal support. Organisers say the approach has been informed by lessons from Ukraine, where dispersal, base protection and resilience to electronic attack have proved decisive.

Recent live-fire work by French Rafale and Mirage 2000 aircraft against stratospheric balloons provides additional context for Volfa’s focus. The tests underline the need to counter unconventional high-altitude targets and to knit kinetic engagements with electronic countermeasures. With Italian and Greek participation, the exercise also serves to refine interoperability among European allies, ensuring shared tactics and procedures hold up under the pressures of contested skies.