USAF RPA training falls short
According to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), ‘the [US] Air Force does not have enough pilots and sensor operators to meet its staffing targets for its unmanned aircraft’ due to training shortfalls.
A 25 June report from the GAO highlighted a shortfall in trained RPA pilots, sensor operators and instructors.
The reported stated that ‘the number of instructor positions required is understated because they are based on a 2009 program of instruction with 49 training days while the current program of instruction is 83 training days’.
In terms of pilots, the shortfall of personnel stood at 332, or 20%
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