Air Force doesn’t have enough drone pilots or sensor operators, GAO says
Stephen Losey
The Air Force is facing an alarming shortage of pilots and sensor operators needed to fly its remotely piloted aircraft, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Thursday.
This shortage in drone pilots and sensor ops is also making it harder for the Air Force to balance those airmen’s time engaging in combat operations with non-combat activities, GAO said in its report, “Unmanned Aerial Systems: Air Force Should Take Additional Steps to Improve Aircrew Staffing and Support.â€
This issue has become increasingly important in the two decades since the Sept. 11 attacks, as the military has grown more and more reliant on drones, both for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance purposes and for airstrikes. In 2008, GAO said, the Air Force flew 33 combat lines — the measure of the service’s capability to fly an RPA near-continuously for 24 hours — but by 2015, that number had increased to 60.
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2020/06/26/air-force-doesnt-have-enough-drone-pilots-or-sensor-operators-gao-says/
