RPV Operators Also May Be In Line For A Retention Increase

The U.S. Air Force would like to keep the fighter and UAV pilots it has trained ... and is looking to one of the best motivators to do so.

Cash.

The Air Force Times reports that the Air Force is looking to nearly double retention bonuses for pilots to nearly $48,000 per year. That means some could see an additional $432,000 in their bank accounts depending on how long they stay in the service.

Aviator Retention Pay has been capped at $25,000 per year since 1999. But Air Force Secretary Debora Lee James said in a recent interview that she has requested that Congress approve the higher amounts to prevent pilots from making the switch to airline jobs.

She said that she's particularly concerned about fighter pilots, saying there is already a shortage of them in the Air Force. "We believe it's going to get worse unless action is taken, and we know that the civilian airlines are projected to hire a lot in the next several years," James said in a recent interview.

And airmen who fly the Air Force's Remotely Piloted Aircraft are also being enticed to stay with retention bonuses of up to $35,000 per year for those who sign up for a five-year hitch.

But The Air Force Times reports that current law only allow retention bonuses to be paid to officers, so the enlisted airmen who recently were approved to operate RPAs are not yet eligible. But a source told The Air Force Times on background that senior leaders are working to change that rule.

The proposed changes were announced Wednesday in the annual "State of the Air Force" address presented by Secretary James and Air Force Chief Of Staff David Goldfein.

FMI: www.af.mil