“We suggest COs give each candidate the time to complete at least 30 hours of practice flying time on a simulator before they come here,” SSgt Andy White (KRH), a senior instructor at the facility, told Soldier.
“The units need to organise aptitude testing to ensure their candidates have good flying ability because if they don’t they’ll be sent back.
“Assessments are easy to do; simply buy some laptop software such as VelociDrone and various other bits like controllers that can be purchased with a simple business case, and then gauge who is the most skilful before applications are submitted.”
The senior NCO emphasised that the intensity of the course syllabuses, particularly the four-week FPV system commanders and operators package, meant there was no time to spend on the basics.
“This isn’t for teaching personnel drone flying,” he added.
“We run four risk-reduction exercises in the first week alone and if a student fails they get booted off.”
The focus of the course, which is staged eight times a year, is exploiting drones as a military capability so that ‘graduates’ can pass on the knowledge to troops back at their units.
“Over the four weeks we teach personnel how to command a team, understand air space, manage the battlespace, coordinate two different drones doing different tasks, and feed information in such as battle damage assessments,” explained SSgt White.
“They will also learn how to plot and navigate at 100kph while flying low to the ground. It’s not about being up high – anyone can fly up there.
“We teach how to use cover like wood blocks and other features on the ground; that’s what we need them to know how to do.”
With FPV one-way attack drones gaining popularity, the centre also includes modules on how to programme them for different flight characteristics and missions, assembly and maintenance procedures, navigation and precision ID – which highlights the vulnerable points on various vehicles.
With the Ukraine war amplifying the need to understand drones, the UAS Centre is certainly doing its best with what resources it has to lead the way.
