More And More Pilots Reassigned To Flying Drones
If you aspire to become a fighter pilot, you may want to
instead brush up on your video game skills. As the US military
increasingly relies on unmanned aerial vehicles in the warzones of
Iraq and Afghanistan, more and more pilots are being reassigned to
drone duty, reports The Associated Press.
Operations with UAVs soared in 2007, to over 500,000 flight
hours -- largely in Iraq, and primarily in observation of
insurgents. The surge in the use of UAVs coincided with the build
up of US forces in Iraq this summer.
Use of UAVs keeps living, breathing airmen out of harm's way. It
also keeps them out of the cockpit... but not, necessarily, from
flying. To handle the growing need for UAV pilots, the military has
reassigned some of its pilots to places like Nevada's Nellis Air
Force Base, to operate Predator UAVs from the remote location.
About 120 USAF pilots were recently transferred there, according
to the AP, to keep pace. National Guard pilots also handle Predator
operations, from locations in North Dakota, Texas, Arizona, and
California.
"I think right now the demand for the capability that the
unmanned system provides is only increasing," said Army Col. Bob
Quackenbush, deputy director for Army Aviation. "Even as the surge
ends, I suspect the deployment of the unmanned systems will not go
down, particularly for larger systems."
That means even as US forces are gradually sent home from Iraq
-- five brigades are expected to come home over the next six
months, that won't be replaced -- the UAVs will remain on duty.
Those aircraft will also be increasingly called upon to handle
actual combat operations -- including more hunter/killer
missions.
In November, a Predator UAV lived up to its name, and fired an
air-to-ground missile at three militants firing mortars at US
forces in Balad... putting a swift end to the attack. As the
capabilities of such unmanned planes become apparent, officials
have called on more and more UAVs -- including Global Hawk
surveillance planes, Reaper hunter/killers, and the smaller
Raven.
"The demand far exceeds all of the Defense Department's ability
to provide (these) assets," said Air Force Lt. Col. Larry
Gurgainous, deputy director of the Air Force's unmanned aircraft
task force. "And as we buy and field more systems, you will see it
continue to go up.
"I think it has to do with the type of warfare we're engaged in
-- it's heavy into intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance," Gurgainous added. "This war requires a lot of
hunting high-value targets."