Académie de l'Air et de l'Espace

The Académie de l'Air et de l'Espace, or AAE, is a French academy for air and space. Its members come from many countries. They hold, or once held, senior roles in aeronautics and space.

The members come from very different backgrounds. They include engineers, industry leaders, researchers, managers, pilots, astronauts, doctors, lawyers, economists, journalists, writers and artists. Together they form a pool of knowledge that the academy describes as rare in Europe. Their aim is to support and promote high quality scientific, technical, cultural and human work in the air and space fields.

The academy shares its views through publications. Its shorter opinion papers are called Avis. Its longer reports are called Dossiers. Recent titles cover combat helicopters and the future European air combat system for 2050, the case for a European air shield, the rise of civil drones from 2015 to 2025, the risks of uncoordinated automated systems, and seven recommendations for the future of European launchers.

The AAE also runs talks and events. Its public agenda for late 2026 lists sessions in Toulouse and Talence. Topics include sustainable aviation, from climate science to policy, the rebirth of French military aviation from 1945 to 1960, new launchers such as those from SpaceX, China and Ariane 6, and how aircraft fight fires. The academy also holds a formal yearly session.

The website keeps replays and papers in a documents and media section. One recent replay covers giant telescopes and adaptive optics for observing space. Members have a private login area.

The academy has signed a partnership agreement with Équilibre des Énergies. The company lists news, publications, collective reflection work and a visitor agenda. Visitors can read most of this content without an account.

Services

• Opinion papers (Avis)
• Reports (Dossiers)
• Public talks and events
• Talk replays
• Collective reflection work
• Members' letter
• Annual formal session