Istres Air Base
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Istres Air Base (Base aérienne d'Istres, Base aérienne 125, BA 125) is a large air base located at , near Istres, north of Marseille, in the Bouches-du-Rhône département, France. The airport facilities are also known as Istres - Le Tubé (ICAO airport code: LFMI).
The main user of the base is the French Air Force, for which it serves multiple functions, including as a repair facility and a training ground. In addition, it also includes test facilities for DGA, Dassault Aviation, SNECMA, Thales, and aeronautical units of the French Navy.
The base includes a landing strip 5 km long and 60 m wide. It is the longest in Europe.
It has a stockpile of middle-range nuclear missiles.
It is a potential emergency landing site for a Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL) of the Space Shuttle.
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