Four RAF pilots who have trained to fly UAS have been awarded a special pilot’s badge at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada in America.
This follows the creation of a specialised RAF flying branch for those flying Remotely Piloted Aircraft, announced in December.
The growing complexity and capability of Remotely Piloted Air Systems and their increasingly pivotal role on operations means they are becoming a key piece of hardware for the air force.
The RAF’s Deputy Commander-in-Chief-Operations, Air Marshal Richard Garwood awarded the first badges to the newly qualified pilots.
The RAF‘s Deputy Commander-in-Chief Operations, Air Marshal Richard Garwood, alongside 4 newly-graduated remotely-piloted aircraft pilots at Creech Air Force Base [Picture: Senior Aircraftwoman Gemma Nagi, Crown copyright 2013]
He said:: “This first graduation of RPAS pilots makes clear not only the RAF’s commitment to this pivotal technology but the associated need to produce highly qualified pilots devoted to fully exploiting RPAS capabilities now and in the future.”
The RAF has two RPAS Squadrons: 39 Squadron at Creech AFB and 13 Squadron based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. They fly Reaper MQ-9s, which can be armed but are used primarily for real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support and are an integral part of the RAF’s airpower capability, complementing its manned aircraft.
Source: BFBS News