ALAT - Aviation légère de l’armée de Terre

The French Army Light Aviation (Aviation légère de l’armée de Terre, ALAT) is the Army aviation service of the French Army. ALAT was established on 22 November 1954 for observation, reconnaissance, assault and supply duties.

In 1912, the French military aviation was formally incorporated into the French Army, alongside the four longstanding divisions of infantry, cavalry, artillery, and engineers. As such it played important role in WWI in support of the army: observation, artillery guidance, bombing and strafing. In 1934, the aviation division turned into the French Air Force.

Helicopter Crew wearing LBF Berets

After WWII, it was felt that, just like the navy, the army needed its own air branch, distinct from the air force, which led to ALAT's creation in 1954.

Since it has participated in almost all French military engagements and humanitarian aid deployments: the French Indochina War, the Algerian War, the Persian Gulf War of 1990–91, the Lebanese conflict, the war in Chad, the independence of Djibouti, the War in Somalia, operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Kosovo War, the Indonesian occupation of East Timor, the Opération Licorne in Côte d'Ivoire, the humanitarian response to the December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the War in Afghanistan, 2011 military intervention in Libya.

The blue berets were distributed for the first time in July 1954 to the helicopter units of the Army in Indochina (GFHATI). In order to strengthen the cohesion of the GFHATI, Commander CRESPIN wanted to unify the headgear in service, by adopting a beret in "RAF blue" color. Faced with a lack of resources and the slowness of the administration, he had managed to recover, from the quartermaster's office, a stock of blue berets abandoned by the metropolitan paratroopers (NB: the latter nevertheless wore it until 1957).

It is worn tilted on the left side and does not have a rank insignia.

Before the adoption of the ALAT-specific beret badge in 1957, personnel from certain units that already had a corps badge wore it on their beret.

Pakol worn by ALAT members of ISAF, Afghanistan

Since 2018, the 4th Special Forces Helicopter Regiment (RHFS) has a new beret. The special forces regiment maintains a strong link with the ALAT, but is now subordinate to the pillar of the Land Special Forces Command.

It reflects the regiment's attachment to the ALAT by keeping the cobalt blue colour of the original beret and projects itself into the new FS pillar by displaying the embroidered CFST insignia, like the former SAS.

The embroidered badge is composed of the wings of the paratroopers on either side of the commandos' dagger, surmounted by the intelligence star.