Recent reports have suggested that as the United States Air Force increases its reliance on drones for air support for surveillance, it’s having to bring in more drone pilots on board and apparently there’s a shortage because late last year it even allowed enlisted ranks to fly drones. To provide an incentive to existing drone pilots who might be thinking of going elsewhere, it’s not offering them up to $50,000 in bonuses just to renew their active duty commitment.
Drone pilots already receive an additional $25,000 per year and now if they renew their active duty commitment for five years they will get $10,000 per year in bonuses. That’s nearly $175,000 in total bonuses on top of their base salary.
It’s too soon to be certain right now if these large bonuses are enough to make existing drone operators stay but this branch of the military will certainly be hoping that the promise of $50,000 in five years is going to entice people to stick with the drone program.
Meanwhile, the Air Force has already said that it’s going to double the number of pilots that it produces by the 2017 fiscal year . It will only serve its interests to retain existing members of the program as well because private airlines are known for poaching military pilots with extra pay, additional benefits, and more.
Filed in . Read more about Drones. Source: defenseone