The Air Force is hemorrhaging drone pilots left and right, and to prevent the downward spiral from continuing, the service is offering major six-figure bonuses for pilots who serve another five years.
It’s willing to offer retention bonuses of $125,000 for pilots who agree to another five years, Air Force Times reports Tuesday.
This retention bonus applies to pilots who have completed pilot training and have six years of experience. There are also more conditions. Pilots are required to be active-duty lieutenant colonels or of lower rank.
But pilots won’t receive the entire sum up front. Rather, the $125,000 is split across five years, for an annual bonus of $25,000. Otherwise, if pilots choose, they can receive up to $75,000 up front.
The bonus is actually slightly different than an original plan proposed in July. Back then, the total bonus amounted to $135,000 for nine years and $75,000 for just five years. However, the Air Force’s drone pilot situation has grown far more precarious.
Being a drone pilot is grueling work. Pilots have to spend countless hours on surveillance and reconnaissance work. Shifts can last up to 13 hours a day for six days of the week. U.S. involvement in Iraq and Syria over the past year has only made the situation worse.
More pilots leave than are trained each year. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Walsh noted earlier this year that, “We can only train about 180 people a year, and we need 300 a year trained – and we’re losing about 240 from the community each year. Training 180 and losing 240 is not a winning proposition for us.”
To ameliorate shortages, the Air Force proposed a $3 billion dollar expansion plan for its drone operations last week. Head of Air Combat Command Gen. Herbert Carlisle said MQ-1 and MQ-9 are being used exclusively for combat. They are not used for reconnaissance, even though reconnaissance is sorely needed in the fight against ISIS.
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