A 330 MRTT

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et enfin la page 5.

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Enfin des mots qui sentent , et on espère une réaction réelle de l'Europe sur l'armement et la protection de nos frontières avec des armes made in Europe

Le premier A-330 MRTT pour l'Arabie Saoudite a volé.

Les travaux de modifications ont été en partie réalisés chez Iberia :

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Le premier A 330 MRTT emirien a volé pendant 2h55

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The crew reported that the aircraft, its systems and two Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines performed entirely satisfactorily during the 2hr 55min flight on 9th April.

As it features some different avionics, and is the first “receiver” to be powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent engine, the UAE A330 MRTT now enters the certification and qualificationphase for these new elements.

The first of three ordered by the UAE AF, it will transfer to Abu Dhabi around the end of the year for the final phase of flight-testing leading to delivery in the second quarter of 2012.

Prior to this flight, six A330 MRTTs had already flown.

Those include three for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), two for the UK Royal Air Force, and one for the Royal Saudi Air Force.

Two of the aircraft are already technically complete and ready for delivery to the RAAF, pending finalisation of contractual discussion.

The picture shows the first A330 MRTT for the UAE AF landing at Airbus Military´s Getafe base.

Arrivée à Boscombe Down du premier A 330 FSTA

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The UK's first Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) has arrived at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire at the start of its programme of in-country testing, as the Ministry of Defence has announced that the type will be named the Voyager in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] service.

The modified [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] landed at the Ministry of Defence/Qinetiq test centre on 18 April, having been flown from [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Military's Getafe site near Madrid. It is one of two examples to have been converted so far for the RAF under the 14-aircraft FSTA programme with the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].


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"Initially specialised ground-testing will take place, leading to airborne testing through the summer, involving both aircraft, to qualify the receiver aircraft in-service with the RAF," Airbus Military says.

AirTanker will deliver the first operational example to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire in late 2011.

"On the ground and in the air, the aircraft will be tested in the refuelling role, with [Panavia] Tornado, [Boeing E-3D] Sentry, [Eurofighter] Typhoon and [[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] C-130] Hercules aircraft," the MoD says.

This process will continue into next year, it adds.

“The initial testing phase [in Spain] has gone very well and the aircraft is proving to be a reliable, mature and very effective platform," says AirTanker chief executive Phill Blundell.

"We look forward to seeing it enter service later this year and beginning the transformation of the RAF's tanker, transport and aero-medical evacuation capabilities," says Antonio Caramazana, head of Airbus Military derivatives.

The UK's remaining 12 aircraft will be modified by Cobham at its Bournemouth airport site in Dorset, with the entire fleet scheduled to be in use by mid-2016.

Meanwhile, industry preparations for the introduction of the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] tanker and the delayed [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] transport were advanced early this month, with the establishment of a national entity called Airbus Military UK.

This is headed by Richard Thompson, Airbus Military's former head of customer services.

Premier stests de ravitaillement au sol pour le premier A330 de la RAF

UK's A330 tanker tests launch 'Voyager' of discovery

The airbus a330.-based Voyager tanker/transport has begun receiver clearance testing in the UK, with its first ground activities having involved a landingpage/panavia tornado. GR4 strike aircraft.
Pictured at the Ministry of Defence's Boscombe Down test site in Wiltshire, the Voyager is one of two A330s to have been modified so far by [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Military under the UK's Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) programme. It arrived at the MoD/Qinetiq base on 4 May from the company's Getafe plant near Madrid and transferred the first fuel from its starboard hose and drogue refuelling pod the following day

All of the UK's future fleet of 14 A330-200s will be equipped with Cobham 905E underwing pods, while seven of them will also be configured with a centreline hose refuelling unit supplied by the same company.
To enter use from November at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, the FSTA fleet will be provided by the AirTanker Services consortium under a private finance initiative deal worth around £10.5 billion ($17.1 billion).


The current test activities at Boscombe Down follow an earlier visit by a Voyager in mid-April. Once operational, the fleet will also provide in-flight refuelling support for RAF types including the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] E-3D Sentry airborne warning and control system aircraft,

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Merci !

Les photos de cet avion , qui existe, et qui est déjà tellement supérieur à ce qui n'est pas encore fait pour les ravitailleurs dont va s'affubler l'USAF, ........ font plaisir ! ;)

L'Australie pourrait prendre livraison de ses deux premiers A330 MRTT en Juin.

Australia could get first two A330 tankers in June

Australia could take delivery of its first delayed A330-based multi-role tanker/transports in June, while Airbus Military has received certification for a safety modification to the type's fly-by-wire refuelling boom.
Aircraft two and three from the Royal Australian Air Force's eventual five-strong KC-30A fleet have been awaiting acceptance at the company's Getafe site near Madrid, Spain since late last year.
"Our expectation is that both aircraft will be in Australia in June," said Antonio Caramazana, Airbus Military's vice-president derivative programmes. "Our Australian customer is very conscious of the aircraft's capabilities, and would like as mature a system as possible when it enters use."

The first aircraft to have been converted is having instrumentation removed by Iberia Maintenance following the completion of flight-test activities. It will then have a new air refuelling boom system installed, to replace the one which was lost during a training mishap involving a Portuguese air force Lockheed Martin F-16 in January. Delivery could occur "towards the end of this year", Caramazana said.
Company officials speaking at Getafe on 18 May refused to reveal full details of the January incident, but said it was the result of human error and that "the boom was not out of the [flight] envelope". A human/machine interface modification that adds a stick-shaker function to the boom operator's controls will give "better feedback" in the future, it said. The enhancement was certificated on 29 April, but has not been requested by the Australian customer.
Airbus Military is in negotiations with Australia's Defence Materiel Organisation over a commercial settlement linked to the late handover of the KC-30A fleet, said Caramazana. Once this process has been completed the RAAF could receive four of its aircraft this year, with the last to follow during 2012.
Conversion work on aircraft four is about to be completed by Qantas Defence Services, with this to fly in August. The RAAF's last A330 is due to be flown to Australia from Toulouse on 22 May and will enter conversion next January.
Meanwhile, Airbus Military has confirmed plans to display Saudi Arabia's first of six A330 MRTTs at the Paris air show in June. The General Electric CF6-engined aircraft will be delivered later this year, following the receipt by August of technical certification and qualification, Caramazana said.

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La RAAF reçoit son prmier A300 MRTT

First Airbus Military A330 MRTT handed over to Royal Australian Air Force



The first Airbus Military A330 MRTT new generation tanker/transport has formally been delivered to, and accepted by the Australian Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base Amberley (Queensland, Australia) on 1st June 2011 at a ceremony attended by DMO, RAAF, Qantas and Airbus Military representatives.

“This is a very major and long awaited milestone for the A330 MRTT programme”, said Airbus Military CEO Domingo Ureña. “I wish to congratulate and thank herewith all the teams – internal and external, with special mention to our world class suppliers Cobham, Thales and Qantas. They all have been working extremely hard to develop, test and certify this all new multi role tanker and transport aircraft which really is the “21st Century benchmark” in its category. My very special thanks also go to our customers and, above all, the Royal Australian Air Force, for having placed their faith in our product. Their contribution was a key factor for making the A330 MRTT what it is today. We are now very keen to see it demonstrate its worth in real operations”.

The aircraft, which had left Madrid on 27th May, was ferried to Amberley where it arrived on Monday 30th May at 15h00 local time. On its ferry flight, the A330 MRTT was flown by Airbus Military and RAAF crews, and transited via McCarran (Nevada) and Hickam (Hawaii) in the USA.

The aircraft is the second converted by Qantas Defence Services in Brisbane, which was returned to Europe for painting and finishing. It will be joined by the second aircraft for the RAAF in June, and two further aircraft later in the year. The fifth and final aircraft ordered by the RAAF, which arrived in Brisbane for conversion with Qantas Defence Services a few days ago, will be delivered next year.

The delivery of the aircraft to the RAAF follows an extensive development and test programme for what is the world’s only certified and flying new generation tanker/transport aircraft. Civil Supplemental Type Certificate was obtained in March 2010, and the military certification followed in October.

In RAAF service, the A330 MRTT will be equipped with two underwing refuelling pods, the fly-by-wire Airbus Military Aerial Refuelling Boom System (ARBS), and a Universal Aerial Refuelling Receptacle Slipway Installation (UARRSI) enabling it to be refuelled from another tanker. It is powered by two General Electric CF6-80E engines. It is equipped with a comprehensive defensive aids suite (DAS) and fitted with 270 passenger seats.

THE A330 MRTT

Having received its supplemental type certificate from European civil certification Authority EASA in March 2010 and military certification from Spanish Authority INTA in October, the Airbus Military A330 MRTT is the only new generation strategic tanker/transport aircraft flying and available today. The large 111 tonnes/ 245,000 lb basic fuel capacity of the successful A330-200 airliner, from which it is derived, enables the A330 MRTT to excel in Air-to-Air Refuelling missions without the need for any additional fuel tank. The A330 MRTT is offered with a choice of proven air-to-air refuelling systems including an advanced Airbus Military Aerial Refuelling Boom System, and/or a pair of under-wing hose and drogue pods, and/or a Fuselage Refuelling Unit.

Thanks to its true wide-body fuselage, the A330 MRTT can also be used as a pure transport aircraft able to carry 300 troops, or a payload of up to 45 tonnes/99,000 lb. It can also easily be converted to accommodate up to 130 stretchers for Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC). To date, a total of 28 A330 MRTTs have been ordered by four customers (Australia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom), with Saudi Arabia having already placed a repeat order.

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Début des essais "humides" entre A 330 Voyager & Tornado

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Si la France et le Royaume-Uni veulent demeurer des puissances capables, une mutualisation de moyens de part et d'autre est la meilleure solution.

Il y a beaucoup à partager en R&T et en retours d'expériences.

La formule adoptée pour le programme FSTA s'adapterait bien aux besoins, possibilités de la France.

A moins d'une réduction de format des armées d'un pays ou de l'autre, tout est là pour un partage bien compris.

Je laisse la suite à nos experts militaires...

Photo de ces contacts A330MRTT de la RAF et Tornado

Début public de l'A330 MRTT au Royal International Air Tattoo

RIAT: UK's Voyager tanker makes public debut

One of the UK Royal Air Force's future fleet of Airbus Military A330 tanker/transports is making the type's public debut at the Royal International Air Tattoo, where the aircraft has been officially named the Voyager.
The second of two A330s to have been modified at Airbus Military's Getafe site near Madrid, the aircraft touched down at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on 15 July, having been flown from the Ministry of Defence's Boscombe Down site in Wiltshire. Configured as a three-point tanker with under-wing hose-and-drogue refuelling pods and a centreline hose drum unit, it is currently involved in flight test activities including transferring fuel to a Panavia Tornado GR4.
"Flight testing has gone incredibly well," said AirTanker managing director Dave Mitchard. The programme's two current aircraft have been flown roughly 100 times since being modified for the tanker role, with the one visiting RIAT having logged around 70 of this total.




AirTanker is due to deliver the RAF's first Voyager at its Brize Norton air transport hub in Oxfordshire on 31 October, with the aircraft currently in Getafe having its flight test instrumentation removed before its seats will be installed.
To enter use via the UK's Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft programme, the Voyager fleet will eventually total 14 modified A330s. Twelve of these will be converted by Cobham Aviation Services at its Bournemouth airport facilities in Dorset, with the first A330 due to arrive at the site in September.
“This magnificent aircraft is the future for the RAF’s air-to-air refuelling and passenger transport capability for the coming decades," said defence secretary Dr Liam Fox during the naming ceremony. “Voyager, together with the [Boeing] C-17, [Lockheed Martin] C-130J and the [Airbus Military] A400M transport will provide the RAF with a truly world class fleet of aircraft, underpinning the global reach that is vital to our operations.”
Airbus Military managing director Domingo Ureña described the RAF as a "referring customer" for the company's A330 multi-role tanker/transport, the first two of which have already been delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force. "From day one you will be using this aircraft operationally in challenging conditions," he said. The company is currently involved in export campaigns to offer the system to potential buyers including the Indian air force.
A delegation of senior French air force officers also attended the event at RIAT. The service plans to field a new fleet of A330-based tankers from later this decade.

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Le Pentagone dment les craintes sur les surcouts du contrat.

U.S. arms buyer dismisses Boeing tanker cost fears

WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters) - The Pentagon's top weapons buyer dismissed concerns on Friday that Boeing is projecting huge cost overruns in developing a new Air Force refueling tanker, saying it was a fixed-price contract and company losses were "not our problem."
Defense Undersecretary Ashton Carter said Boeing had made a commercial decision to offer a below-cost bid for development of the aircraft in hopes of making up its losses during production of 179 of the aircraft through the 2020s.
The development contract for the KC-46 tanker, based on Boeing's 767 wide-body commercial airliner, had a ceiling price of $4.9 billion, while the overall [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] for 179 aircraft is valued at $30 billion, one of the Pentagon's costliest purchases.
Boeing agreed to a $3.9 billion target price for tanker development, including the first four aircraft. Any cost overruns above $3.9 billion would be shared 60-40 between the Pentagon and the company, to the fixed ceiling of $4.9 billion. The company had to cover any costs above that.
Boeing won the tanker contract in February against European aircraft maker EADS, which produces the Airbus, after years of contract disputes. Boeing notified the Pentagon in April that it expected to exceed the development contract's ceiling price by $300 million.
That means it would miss the target price by some $1.3 billion. The Pentagon would be responsible for 60 percent of overruns up to the ceiling price, or about $600 million.
Senator John McCain wrote a letter to Carter on Thursday expressing concern about the projected cost overruns, saying it was "unacceptable" in the current difficult fiscal climate for the contract to allow the company to pass on $600 million in development costs to the taxpayer.
"That is gravely wrong and creates an incentive, particularly on very large programs, for contractors to low-ball a contract bid knowing that the taxpayer will subsidize at least some of the overruns that will be needed to actually complete the work," McCain wrote.
But Carter, answering questions about defense procurement at the Brookings Institution think tank on Friday, dismissed reports of Boeing's cost overruns, saying, "It's not our problem because it's a fixed-price contract and it was written with ... protections for the taxpayers."
He said the issue was the value of the contract at its ceiling price.
"The fact that Boeing decided that it would lose money in the development phase, presumably in the hopes of making money in the production phase, was a decision that they made, and that's not a problem from the Defense Department's point of view," Carter added.
He noted that the contract work is just getting under way and the figures at this point are estimates.
"What this means is that Boeing will have every incentive .. to control costs so that those estimates don't come true, otherwise they're going to lose money."
Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Cassidy said the bids from both Boeing and EADS were evaluated based upon their ceiling price, "which is the Air Force's maximum financial liability."
"The Air Force will not pay any more than the contractually binding KC-46 Engineering, Manufacturing and Development ceiling price of $4.9 billion, regardless of what it might cost Boeing to satisfy the terms and conditions of the contract," she said.
Boeing spokesman William Barksdale has said the company will make money on the overall KC-46 program.

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L'armée française va commander 14 avions ravitailleurs à Airbus

L'armée française va commander 14 avions ravitailleurs à Airbus

L’armée de l’air l’attendait, le ministre de la Défense Gérard Longuet va le faire. Selon nos informations, le ministère de la Défense prévoit de passer commande de quatorze ravitailleurs A330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) à Airbus Military : la première commande est prévue en 2013, pour une première livraison en 2017.

Les détails financiers de cette acquisition ne sont pas encore connus, mais sur la base d’un prix unitaire de 240 millions de dollars l’unité (175 millions d’euros) - l’ordre de grandeur si l’on se réfère aux commandes australienne ou britannique de ce même avion -le montant de la commande serait d’environ 2,4 milliards d’euros.

Remplacer les vieux C-135 de l'armée française

Dire que cette commande était attendue relève de l'euphémisme. Ces appareils remplaceront les vieux C-135FR de l’armée française, dont le conflit libyen a montré les limites : malgré l’excellent travail du groupe de ravitaillement en vol 02.091, basé à Istres, les chasseurs français avaient dû avoir recours à des ravitaillements par les appareils américains, vu le faible nombre de ravitailleurs français disponibles, entre ceux cloués au sol pour maintenance et ceux détachés sur d’autres théâtres, notamment l’Afghanistan.

La seule maintenance des appareils est estimée à 60 millions d'euros par an par l'armée de l'air. "Nous sommes faibles dans le domaine du ravitaillement en vol, où nos avions sont très anciens , reconnaissait l’amiral Guillaud, chef d’état-major des armées, lors de l’Université de la défense le 6 septembre à Rennes. Nous attendons avec impatience la version européenne livrée de l’autre côté de la Manche." Une allusion claire aux A330 MRTT commandés par le Royaume-Uni…

Un avion similaire à celui qu'EADS avait proposé à l'armée américaine

L’A330 MRTT, dont 28 exemplaires ont déjà été commandés par quatre clients (Australie, Arabie Saoudite, Emirats Arabes Unis et Royaume-Uni), est un ravitailleur d’une capacité totale de 111 tonnes de carburant, qui peut également se transformer en avion de transport (300 soldats ou 45 tonnes de fret). C’est l’appareil qui avait servi de base à l’offre d’EADS pour le[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (179 avions, plus de 30 milliards de dollars), finalement remporté par Boeing le 24 février dernier.

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Merci, Jeannot.

Nous espérons que, dans cette commande, il s'agira de moteurs RR Trent 772B-EP, car,..... à l'origine, la motorisation RR Trent 700 fut retenue comme une composante "standard" du package.

Et puis, quand on voit la politique "Buy Americian" des USA, il est grand temps, que dans ces applications, nos pays "buy European" !

Et je ne suis pas adepte du 'patriotisme économique' ou de 'protectionnisme'. C'est que nous nouis devons les meilleures qualité et fiabilité pour nos Services, ... nos Forces Armées !

Pas de GE CF-6 (non fiables) ou P&W séries PW4000 (guère mieux que les CF-6,.... sauf pour le PW4170).

Début de la formation des équipages Saoudiens sur A330MRTT

Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) crews started flight training on their first A330 MRTT with Airbus Military instructors at the Airbus Military Getafe facilities in Spain yesterday 25th October


This will allow the crews to qualify for Air Logistic Transport and Air-to-Air Refueling with pods and boom.

Col Pilote Mashhour Bin Abdallah AL BURIKAN, RSAF A330 MRTT 13th Flying Wing Commander, and Lt Pilote Khaled Bin Abdallah AL MAJED, whose picture was taken inside the RSAF A330 MRTT cockpit, and the rest of the RSAF Aircrew will be training with Airbus Military over the next two months.

Delivery of the first A330 MRTT to the RSAF will take place mid November 2011. Next RSAF MRTT aircraft deliveries are scheduled for 2012.

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Première livraison en novembre 2011.

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Bonjour, chers tous.
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Paris confirme vouloir acheter l'avion ravitailleur d'Airbus

PARIS, 9 jan 2012 (AFP)

Le ministre français de la Défense Gérard Longuet a confirmé lundi que la France comptait acheter des avions ravitailleurs A330 à Airbus pour renouveler sa flotte vieillissante de ravitailleurs.

© 2012 AFP

Enfin ! Il est grand temps que la France s'exécute, sur ce dossier. En outre, il s'agira de la version "standard", à, moteurs RR Trent 772B-EP. Une affaire européenne, quoi !

Et cela est selon l'accord d'origine entre la France et le Royaume Uni !

Les Australiens apprendront bientôt l'erreur d'avoir choisi l'option (ridicule) des CF-6 de GE. Ils ont commandé la "commonality" , au lieu de privilégier la fiabilité ! Quelle erreur pour an avion militaire !

J'ai lu dans d'autres sources que la commande serait passée en 2013 et sans vouloir vous contredire, en tenant compte du contexte économique actuel et des échéances politiques à venir en France, il peut exister des milliers de bonnes raisons pour que cette commande s'apparente à l'arlésienne.

Bonjour, et merci, Jeannot !

Jeannot a écrit : J'ai lu dans d'autres sources que la commande serait passée en 2013 et sans vouloir vous contredire, en tenant compte du contexte économique actuel et des échéances politiques à venir en France, il peut exister des milliers de bonnes raisons pour que cette commande s'apparente à l'arlésienne.

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Oui ! Mais j'ai préféré que ce ne soit pas moi qui introduise mon irritation devant les aspects politiques !

La politique, et les élections sont des réalités respectivement omni-présentes & imminentes.

Mais nous avons déjà vu la France (et l'Allemagne, mais qui ne s'est pas prononcée sur cette affaire , de manière audible, du moins) inciter tout le monde à s'engager sur le cause européenne (hélico NHLFA ; ânerie s'il en fût, et A400M, pour lequel, par exemple, le RU s'est engagé immédiatement, alors que la France et l'Allemagne ont traîné la savate pendant 3 exercies budgétaires avant de s'engager, et, en bon duo habituel, ils ont essayé de fixer les règles pour tout et tout le monde).

Le duo France-Allemagne n'a rien à 'poser' en tant que 'pionnier' ou "Locomotive" dans l'éventuelle Défense européenne commune. Rien.

La Défense européenne commune sera avec le RU (et la France, bien entendu), ... ou ne sera pas. Réussir, sans trop tarder, cet aspect relativement anodin des avions ravitailleurs , constituerait un bel exemple, et un facteur susceptible de contribuer à un climat de motivation positive dans la question de la Défense européenne commune ! En outre, cela prolongerait la volonté apparente affiché dans l'affaire 5PLU(plus importantr, bien sûr) de l'appel d'offres pour l'USAF.
.
Et puis, les dépenses sur investissements militaires, pour faire court (qu'on ne vienne pas chercher la petite bêt sont :roll: ) sont exclues des calculs du Déficit Fiscal et de la Dette nationale / publique, selon les règles du Traité de MAASTRICHT ('Pacte de Stabilité et de Croissance')

Bonjour,

Un peu de provoc : Si la France adressait une demande aux USA pour la fourniture en FMS d'une douzaine de Boeing 767 ravitailleurs ?

Même si les dépenses militaires sont exclues de la dette publique, des ravitailleurs pour l'AAF seraient payés avec quoi ?

"La grande Muette" restera la grande muette, quoi qu'il advienne.

Et, personnellement, j'en ai marre d'entendre " l'Allemagne, l'Allemagne, l'Allemagne..."