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November 8, 2021BA 115 Orange-Caritat – Spotting Guide
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- last modified on December 13, 2021
The French Base Aérienne BA115 “Orange-Caritat” (ICAO: LFMO) is located in the south-east of France between Lyon and Marseille. Actually it is not a busy base with only 1 squadron of Mirages 2000C/RDI & Mirages 2000B from the Escadron de chasse 2/5 îles-de-France. But by 2021-2023 it will host a new squadron of around twenty Rafale which will definitely be a busier base.
The Mirages 2000 squadron will be shut down in June 2022 and M2000 will leave the base forever. The airbase will close from June 2022 and works should last up to 36 months to prepare the field for a new Rafale squadron to be based from 2023/2024.
It’s also home of a Fennec helicopter squadron, 5/67 Alpilles, flying everyday and shouldn’t be impacted by works.
Please note that security concerns are OK however do not take any pictures of the Air Base buildings and do not stay at the fence but 2 meters away.
Written by Jeremy Denton. Last update December 2021
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| Airport Information | |
| Runway | |
| 14/32 | 2,407m (7,897ft) – Concrete |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Ladder is mandatory at spot 1. |
| Car/Public Transport | Public transport is not available, we highly recommend you to use a car. |
| Restrooms | Not available at the locations. |
| Drinks/Food | Not available, please bring with you what you need. |
| Hotels | Available at 5km from the AFB in Orange City. |
| Season | Summer in order to avoid the bad weather however heat haze can be an issue. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 14/32 | Nothing special depending on the wind direction. |
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Spot #1 – Middle Runway (Morning Action both rwy) |
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| WHERE | Exit Orange city by driving on D975 towards Camaret-sur-Aiugues until you reached the first roundabout. Take on D43 first exit on the right. Drive a few hundreds meters and take the second path on your right “Chemin de Ratvoux” until you reached the airport fences. Please park your car next to the road in order to avoid any issues. |
| WHAT | All actions both runways, 1B recommanded for take-off/rotations. Heat haze can be an issue during summer. |
| TIME | Summer: From sunrise until 11:30 Winter: not recommended only 1h. |
| MISC. | Ladder is mandatory but please keep your distances from the fences, see below picture. Nothing nearby so bring with you what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 190mm : Mirages 2000 |
Spot 1A
Spot 1B
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Spot #2 – Line-up rwy14 (Morning) |
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| WHERE | Exit Orange city by driving on D975 towards Camaret-sur-Aiugues until you reached the first roundabout. Take on D43 first exit on the right. Drive a few hundreds meters and take the first path on your right “Chemin de Grange Blanche” until you reached the airport fences take a left turn on stop at the line-up. Please park your car next to the road in order to avoid any issues. |
| WHAT | Arrivals/departures rwy14. |
| TIME | Summer: From sunrise until 11:30 Winter: not recommended only 1h. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby so bring with you what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 120mm Mirage 2000 |
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Spot #3 – Arrivals rwy14 (Afternoon) |
|---|---|
| WHERE | Exit Orange city by driving on D975 towards Camaret-sur-Aiugues. You should be able to see a small path just before the lights of rwy, take it on your right hand side and continue down the road Stop before going on “Chemin de Ratavoux” please refer to the map. |
| WHAT | Arrivals rwy14. |
| TIME | Summer: from 13:00 to sunset. Winter: from 12:00 to sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby so bring with you what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 120mm-300mm Mirage 2000 depending angle wishes |
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Spot #4 – Arrivals rwy32 (Afternoon) |
|---|---|
| WHERE | From spot 1, drive back on the path and take on your right “Chemin d’Avignon” then continue straight on “chemin des Platriers” until you reached D43. From here take a right turn on D43 continue straight until you reached the center of the village and crossrards. Take the path on your right hand side “Chemin des Hautes Raiailles”. Continue straight until the end of the path. Once you reached the end, take a right turn continue straight until the fences. Park your car next to the road do not block it. At this location, it is important to stay well away from the fence otherwise you will attract base security very quickly as the spot is in close proximity to the QRA shelters. There is a big row of trees just to the right and out of shot of the image above and it’s worth staying to the south side of those trees. |
| WHAT | Arrivals rwy32 afternoon. |
| TIME | Summer: from 13:00 to sunset. Winter: from 12:00 to sunset. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby so bring with you what you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 225mm-375mm depending angle |
Hi, some mistakes in the description. It’s 2/5 Ile de France and not 2/4.
The squadron will be shut down in june 2022 and M2000 will leave the base forever. Then works will happen until 2023 or 2024 minimum where the new Rafale Squadron will arrive. So no aircrafts activities during 24 to 36 months.
It’s also home of a Fennec helicopter squadron, 5/67 Alpilles, flying everyday and shouldn’t be impacted by works.
Thanks
Hello Paul,
Thank you for the insights. The guide is now updated based on your comments.
Kind regards,
Jeremy
For spot 4 you need to make sure you keep well away from the fence otherwise you will attract base security very quickly as the spot is in close proximity to the QRA shelters.
There is a big row of trees just to the right and out of shot of the image above and it’s worth staying to the south side of those trees.
Hello Daen,
Thank you for your comment, the guide has been updated accordingly.
Kind regards,
Jeremy