The French Air Force (French: "Armée de l'air" ] , literally "air army") is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the "Service Aéronautique", a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1934. The number of aircraft in service with the French Air Force varies depending on source, however sources from the French Ministry of Defence give a figure of 658 aircraft in 2014