Base aérienne 722 Saintes-Thénac

Base aérienne 722, also known as the École d'enseignement technique de l'Armée de l'air et de l'espace (EETAAE), is a military school of the French Air and Space Force located south of Saintes, Charente-Maritime, France. The site, covering 250 hectares across the communes of Les Gonds and Thénac, was initially established in 1945 by the Air Force for a mechanics and automotive drivers school, on the former Hispano-Suiza factory grounds built in 1938. In April 1949, the technical education school of the Air Force was created on this future air base, adapting workshops previously used for assembling 20mm aircraft cannons.

The school officially became Base Aérienne 722 on January 1, 1954. From 1961, it began training apprentice mechanics for the Air Force, preparing them for specialized training at Rochefort. In 1962, the school received its flag, and in 1963, it was named "Capitaine Albert Raffin" in honor of a former student. On April 6, 1978, its flag was decorated with the Aeronautics Medal for its services, having trained over 30,000 apprentice mechanics by that date. By 2022, over 46,000 student technicians had been trained.

On July 1, 1990, the school was renamed the "École d'enseignement technique de l'Armée de l'air 722." Following the professionalization of the armed forces in late 1996, the base also hosted the Centre de formation des militaires techniciens de l'air (CFMTA), which later became the Centre de formation militaire élémentaire (CFME) on July 1, 2001. In September 1999, the school began admitting female students. The CFME was dissolved in September 2015.

On June 30, 2021, the school's name was updated to École d'enseignement technique de l'Armée de l'air et de l'espace, reflecting the inclusion of the space component in the Air Force's designation. The base's runways are also utilized by the civilian aerodrome of "Saintes / Thénac." The school's mission is to train student technicians who will primarily become non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel for the French Air and Space Force. They receive academic, military, and civic training over two years, preparing them for specializations such as aeronautical maintenance, aircraft armament, aeronautical and space communications, cyber defense, and embedded electronics. The school recruits students aged 16 to 18 and provides a two-year boarding program, with costs covered by the state and students receiving a monthly salary. Upon graduation, they are guaranteed a five-year contract with the Air and Space Force. The school comprises an Escadron d'enseignement académique (EEA) for academic training and an Escadron d'encadrement et de formation militaire (EEFM) for military training and student supervision.