Brigadier General Vital Duchesne joined the French Air and Space Force Academy in 1996 as an aeronautical systems officer.

After beginning his career in Toulouse in helicopter maintenance and aircraft ferry operations, he was notably involved in the response to the AZF factory explosion in 2001. He continued his training at ENAC and ISAE, specialising in airworthiness and aviation safety. His work on the digital transformation of aeronautical maintenance earned him the “René Mouchotte” Prize.

From 2005 onward, he held various technical expertise and aviation safety responsibilities within the Air Force Staff and Air Forces Command. A graduate of the War College in 2011, he commanded a maintenance unit at Mont-de-Marsan, notably involved in Operation SERVAL, and contributed to the build-up and first exports of the Rafale.

Promoted to Colonel in 2017, he became Technical Director within the Military Air Expertise Centre, responsible for future programmes. From 2021 to 2023, he commanded Air Base 705 and the Tours Defence Base before becoming Chief of Staff to the Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force.

Promoted to Brigadier General in 2026, he now commands the Air Technical and Logistics Brigade within the French Air and Space Force Territorial Command in Bordeaux.

His career has been marked by aeronautical expertise, military command and transformation across a wide range of fields.