By Marina Malenic
The Air Force’s top officer said yesterday that the service’s fleet of unmanned aircraft will expand from 250 to 450 airplanes in the coming years.
“We have 250 or so remotely piloted aircraft in inventory now,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. “That number will grow to 450 or so at the end state.”
Schwartz was speaking at a breakfast sponsored by Government Executive Magazine at the National Press Club.
The Air Force currently flies General Atomics MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper combat air vehicles and has just begun purchasing Northrop Grumman‘s [NOC] RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drone. The service has moved over 4,000 personnel from other missions into drone operations and other intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance jobs over the past several years.
Schwartz said those fleets and missions are expected to expand.
“This is here to stay,” he said. “We’re making this a permanent part of our Air Force repertoire because we see it as being part of our capability going forward.”
The general noted that drone missions, on average, require 120 personnel per 24-hour shift.
“We have made a serious commitment to this mission,” he said.
Schwartz said the Air Force does not plan to allow enlisted personnel to fly the aircraft, as the Army has done.
“For the time being, pilots will be officers,” he said.
He noted that the Army operates unmanned aircraft in a “tactical mode–close in, with relatively small platforms.” The Air Force, by contrast, flies larger platforms in strategic missions, he said.
“I would argue that there isn’t a United States Army RPA operator who has a clue on how to operate in international airspace,” Schwartz said. “This is not a pejorative comment, it’s the reality.”