The École des troupes aéroportées (ETAP), or School of Airborne Troops, is a military school dedicated to training the military paratrooper

Paratrooper

Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...

s of the French army. It was established in 1964 and is located in the town of Pau, in the département of Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Pyrénées-Atlantiques is a department in the southwest of France which takes its name from the Pyrenees mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.- History :...

, France.

It is a training unit of the French Army

French Army

The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...

, under the French Army Training Command (COFAT).

History

The ETAP has its origins at the end of the Second World War with the establishment of the Airborne Troops Training Center (CETAP) on April 16, 1946. On 1 June, 1947 the CETAP became the ETAP.

Mission

The ETAP is responsible for training paratroopers, officer and enlisted. It is also responsible for international cooperation and promotion of paratroop culture. It also serves as a center for the development of paratroop doctrine and training.

Composition

The ETAP is divided into three components: a command center, a training centre, and a support center.

Training courses

• Training for certification as military Parachuting (2 weeks)
• Officer and NCO training (7 days to 4 weeks)
• Training for paratrooper monitors, free drop monitors, and pilotes parachutes biplaces (8 weeks)
• Training for Chuteurs Opérationnels (12 weeks)
• Training for air-delivery
• Training in drop techniques
• Military training to other countries within the framework of cooperation

Units which train at ETAP

• 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment
  8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment
  The 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment is an airborne regiment in the French Army. It is an elite unit that can be rapidly sent anywhere in the world...
  
  : 8e Régiment Parachutiste d'Infanterie de Marine (8e RPIMa)