Construction of Hispano-Suiza plants 1938 (≈ 1938)
Industrial site converted to military school.
1945
Air Force Installation
Air Force Installation 1945 (≈ 1945)
Start of military occupation of the site.
avril 1949
Establishment of EATAA
Establishment of EATAA avril 1949 (≈ 1949)
Official foundation on base 722.
1er janvier 1954
Air base designation 722
Air base designation 722 1er janvier 1954 (≈ 1954)
Official status of the base.
1961
Arpet training
Arpet training 1961 (≈ 1961)
Launch of the two-year curriculum.
1962
Presentation of the flag
Presentation of the flag 1962 (≈ 1962)
Official symbol by Chief of Staff.
1963
Baptism Captain Albert Raffin
Baptism Captain Albert Raffin 1963 (≈ 1963)
Tribute to a dead former student.
6 avril 1978
Aviation Medal
Aviation Medal 6 avril 1978 (≈ 1978)
Award for 30,000 trained technicians.
1er juillet 1990
New name: EETAA 722
New name: EETAA 722 1er juillet 1990 (≈ 1990)
Reorganization of the school.
5 septembre 1999
First feminized promotion
First feminized promotion 5 septembre 1999 (≈ 1999)
Arrival of the first female students.
30 juin 2021
Becoming EATAAE
Becoming EATAAE 30 juin 2021 (≈ 2021)
Integration of the space component.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Capitaine Albert Raffin - Former student and eponymous tribute
Name given to school in 1963.
Origin and history
The School of Technical Education of the Air and Space Army (EETAAE) is a French military institution dedicated to the training of Air Force technicians, installed on Air Base 722. Created in 1949 on the site of the former Hispano-Suiza factories (1938) near Saintes, it first trained mechanics before structuring, from 1961, a two-year course for the future "arpets", non-commissioned officers. Its history is marked by major developments, such as the feminization of promotions in 1999 or its adaptation to the professionalization of the armies in the 1990s.
In 1945, the Air Force moved to the Hispano-Suiza plant, built in 1938 to assemble 20 mm guns for Morane 405, 406 and Dewoitine D.520 aircraft. These workshops, reconverted in 1949, became the heart of the EETAA, officially designated as Air Base 722 in 1954. In 1963 the school adopted the name "Captain Albert Raffin", a former student who died in Indochina, and in 1962 received his flag from the Chief of Staff. In 1978, she was awarded the Aviation Medal for training over 30,000 technicians.
The EETAE has undergone several reforms, such as the creation of the Basic Military Training Centre (EFTC) in 2001, which was dissolved in 2015 in favour of an operational centre in Orange. In 2021, it incorporated the spatial dimension into its name, reflecting the evolution of the Air Force. Today, she trains 300 technical students (16-18 years) annually in boarding schools, with paid and graduate education, preparing for the professions of aviation maintenance, cyber defense or space communications. Graduates often join the Rochefort school to specialize.
The 250-hectare site, shared between the municipalities of Gonds and Thénac, also houses the Saintes/Thénac airfield. The runways of Air Base 722, inherited from its industrial past, are now used for practical training. The school, which has trained more than 46,000 technicians since 1949, remains a pillar of technical military training in France, combining academic instruction, discipline and preparation for the aeronautics and space professions.
The EETAE's motto, "Honour, Work and Discipline," sums up his mind. Students, called "arpets", follow a demanding course combining technical courses (baccalaureate or CAP), military training (CAM or CME certificates) and boarding school life. Some then integrate preparatory classes into the major military schools to become officers. The school, led by a principal and military instructors, is a pool of skills for the Air and Space Army, guaranteeing graduates a contract of five years after their two years of schooling.
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