Manning the Next Unmanned Air Force: Developing RPA Pilots of the Future

Abstract

The successes of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom have resulted in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), or Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), providing more strategic level effects than any other weapon system in the Air Force (AF) inventory. Besides regular use on the battlefield, these intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and strike aircraft are used as the weapon of choice for the White House to prosecute targets that are a risk to our national security (primarily the Al Qaeda network). As a result, the AF has aggressively enhanced its RPA capabilities over the last few years, and is currently supporting 61 combat air patrols (CAP) that operate 24-hours per day, predominantly in Afghanistan, Yemen and the North Africa coast. This capability will continue to grow over the next few years due to a Secretary of Defense-directed requirement 65 daily patrols by mid-2014.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA583381

Entities

People

  • Bradley T. Hoagland

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircraft Industry
  • Aircrafts
  • Attrition
  • Employment
  • Flight Training
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Students
  • Tanker Aircraft
  • Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Unmanned Systems
  • Unmanned Vehicles
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy
  • Autonomy - UAVs