By akademiotoelektronik, 21/02/2022

Air Base 709 in Cognac: Juliette, the future "brain" of the army's fighter planes

More than his physique built by the performance in extreme conditions, it is the speech of the aspiring Juliette that marks. Between the lines of each sentence she utters, we feel a perfect balance between determination and maturity. It is partly for this reason that this young woman was selected to be part of the Air Force's elite. She is currently completing her navigator training at Cognac-Châteaubernard Air Base 709. She is the only woman in her promotion (see box).

In the coming decade, the native of Nancy will undoubtedly be in the cockpit of a Rafale or a Mirage in a war zone somewhere above Africa during a high-risk mission. She will not hold the stick but will be the "brain" of the fighter plane, ready to face the pitfalls and the unexpected. “For aerial outings that last, the pilot cannot be alone to carry out all the tasks, he needs someone to manage the flight. This is where the navigator comes in,” explains the 25-year-old young woman. This “co-pilot” more specifically manages the different systems of the aircraft, the fuel, the armament. He is also there to counter-check the instruments on board and ensure safety in complex flight phases.

Juliette follows in the footsteps of her father, himself a navigator in a fighter plane, but she does not think that this was decisive in her professional choice. “Of course, I was immersed in a military universe but my father hardly spoke of his work. It was rather when I started practicing gliders regularly that the idea of ​​becoming an aviator germinated, but I wanted my future job to have meaning. I wanted to serve my country. That's why I chose the army. »

Severe body

After a scientific baccalaureate and a maths license, in 2018 she joined the great mute after a drastic selection. “There are psychotechnical, English, and sports tests, then comes the time for interviews. It lasts a week. As the days pass, there is a lot of skimming. In the end, we are only a handful. »

Before arriving in Cognac last November, she joined the Air and Space School in Salon de Provence, a year of military class followed by a year of aeronautical training. Her instructors then assigned her to the most prestigious course in the Air Force: the “hunting” course.

In search of balance

Since then, if she carries out many missions on a simulator, she flies over the Charente every week on board a Pilatus PC-21, the new fighter training plane for the Air Force. In these devices, the load factor can reach 8 G, that is, the young woman has to support 8 times her weight. That's even more than Formula 1 drivers (5G) when powerfully accelerating around a corner. “I haven't had any discomfort yet but I know it can happen. We are prepared for that. Afterwards, during outings, we wear anti-G pants which are made of fabric with bladders that fill with air to compress the lower body and prevent the blood from irrigating the brain enough, ”says the apprentice sailor.

She would like to leave her training to be assigned to the air base of Saint-Dizier in Haute-Marne where she could fly aboard a Rafale. “It's a dream but if the opportunity doesn't come, I won't get depressed. Our instructors teach us to take a step back from our careers. They often tell us that having a fulfilling personal life is essential to being effective in our positions. I am also thinking of motherhood and I am thinking about when will be the best time to become a mother”.

The base is feminized

If Juliette is the only female navigator in her promotion, the 709 air base in Cognac-Châteaubernard has been opening the door to women more and more for a good decade. The military site has approximately 22% women. It is more or less the same proportion as in the other military air bases in France. Women represent 6.5% of flight personnel, 12.3% of mechanics, and 38% of personnel working in support and administration (including 1/3 in intelligence, 1/3 in air traffic control or even 6% air commandos). Airwomen represent 15% of officers, 20% of non-commissioned officers and 33% of non-commissioned members. On the same subject

Cognac Air Base: the Reaper drone will be replaced in 2028

The Reaper drone should have a replacement in 2028. But the Eurodrone, designed on the continent, does not only have advantages
On the same subject

Cognac: the army puts the spotlight on the BA 709

The spokesperson for the Ministry of the Armed Forces held his traditional weekly press briefing from the Cognac base on June 17. A spotlight on the site that hosts the Air Force's only drone unit
On the same subject

Charente: the Patrouille de France and a Rafale sow panic in Saint-Brice

"Contempt, lack of respect", residents of Saint-Brice, near Cognac, castigate the behavior of fighter pilots who, to their liking, have come too close to their homes
Tags: