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."

FMI: www.defenselink.mil