Air Force Offers $15K Signing Bonus to Entice Drone Pilots
A statement from the service said there’s a “critical shortage of remotely piloted aircraft pilots,” something it hopes the bonuses will help to fix. The bonuses will go into effect in fiscal year 2016.
As part of the new push for RPA pilots, the Air Force will assign 80 undergraduate pilot training graduates to RPA positions for one assignment tour. The use of new graduates in this plan is expected to last one year while the Air Force builds up the number of RPA pilots through the bonus program.
“The most critical challenge we face in this mission area is a shortage of RPA pilots and the UPT grads are the fastest way to address that shortfall without sacrificing mission capability in other platforms,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III. “Actions we take today will allow the Air Force to continue to provide world-class, strike-ready (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) over the battlefield and enhance overall combat capability.
“Those selected for RPA duties will serve one tour and then be placed in manned aircraft if desired after completion of that tour,” Welsh said. “This will help the Air Force achieve a healthy steady state for the RPA enterprise as soon as possible.”
The Air Force also intends to invest more than $100 million for ground control stations, simulators and contract instructors.
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