RAF Recruitment | RPAS Pilot

Aircrew Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) Pilot CURRENTLY RECRUITING

The Reaper is controlled by crews of professional pilots, sensor operators and Mission Intelligence Co-ordinators centrally from Ground Control Stations. Your job includes controlling the aircraft and going through the same preparation such as pre-flight planning, comprehensive briefing, hand-over, weather, intelligence and usual air-space flight considerations as any other daily routine on a flying squadron.

Learn more about this role

Pay During Initial Officer Training £27,200+ + Benefits

Pay after Initial Officer Training £31,800+ + Benefits

Apply as a Regular

Is this for you?

APPLICANTS MUST:

Be aged 17.5 - 32 years old (Must attest before 33rd birthday)
You will need a minimum of 5 GCSEs (or acceptable equivalents) at a minimum of Grade C (Grade 4-5), including English Language and Mathematics or Scottish National 5 (Grades A–C)
Be a citizen of the United Kingdom since birth
Must have resided in the UK for at least 7 years immediately preceding application
Parents/Spouse must currently have UK citizenship
Commit to 12 years of service
Meet the health and fitness criteria
Pass the Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre

GREAT FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN:

Gaming & Computers
Aircraft
Analysis and maths

VIEW ALL ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

TYPICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Control the Reaper for persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and, if required, ground-attack missions worldwide
Mission planning and ground-based staff duties

WHY JOIN THE RAF?

Thanks to subsidised food, travel, accommodation and free gym you get more money in your pocket.

Salary

Benefits Salary

Civilian Role

RAF Role

Rent from £75p/m
Free gym
World travel
Subsidised food
Health care

See All Benefits

TRAINING YOU'LL RECEIVE

TRAINING YOU'LL RECEIVE

Your career will start with a 24-week Initial Officer Training where you will learn:

Leadership and management skills

Fitness development

Practical outdoor leadership skills

SPECIALIST TRAINING

Your specialist training begins with a bespoke version of Elementary Flying Training (EFT), including ground school and then flying the Tutor aircraft. You will complete the Tutor training with an Instrument Flight Test and Final Handling Test before being awarded RPAS(P) wings. You will then go to the Reaper Formal Training Unit (FTU) in the USA to train on the aircraft you will be flying operationally.

The FTU is completed at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, USA. You will spend 6 months completing the ground school elements and learning how to operate the aircraft, including weapons.

More details +

FOUNDATION TOURS

During your first tour, you will be posted to either XIII Sqn RAF Waddington (UK) or 39 Sqn Creech Air Force Base (USA). You will most likely fly an aircraft on operations over hostile territory, providing persistent ISR and if required, armed overwatch.

YOUR CAREER PROSPECTS

You will join the RAF on an Initial Commission of 12 years and may be selected to serve on a pension earning commission of 20 years’ service or age 40, whichever is later, during this time. Promotion to the rank of Flight Lieutenant is on a time served/satisfactory service basis. Further promotion to Squadron Leader and above is by competitive selection.

ONGOING DEVELOPMENT

As an RPAS pilot, you will have opportunities for further professional development throughout your career. As well as training personnel at the FTU and deploying on the Reaper Launch and Recovery Element, there are opportunities for structured command and staff training as your career progresses.

TRANSFERABLE SKILLS

The skills and experience you gain throughout your career as a RPAS pilot in the RAF will equip you for a number of civilian jobs, including civilian UAV pilot operator, pilot instructor, systems specialist and simulator coordinator.

ALL APPLICANTS MUST:

Be a citizen of the United Kingdom since birth and must not hold (and must never have held) any nationality or citizenship (including joint nationality) other than British or that of a British Overseas Territory.

Be between 17.5 and 32 years old. (Must attest before 33rd birthday).

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

	GCSE	GCSE 2017	SNE
Mathematics	C	Grade 4	Grade 5
English Language	C	Grade 4	Grade 5
Three other subjects	C	Grade 4	Grade 5

In addition, you need at least 2 A2 Levels/3 Highers at Grade C or above (excluding General Studies or Critical Thinking) which must total a minimum of 64 UCAS points.

Alternatively, if you hold a UK degree at Grade 2:2 or higher (or acceptable alternative) you only need Mathematics and English Language GCSEs at a minimum of Grade C (Grade 4-5) or Mathematics and English Language SCE Standard Grades of 2 or SNE Grade 5 (A-C).

You can see what the RAF accepts in lieu of GCSEs & A Levels here.

NATIONALITY & RESIDENCY

You must be a UK citizen since birth.

You must have resided in the UK for 7 years immediately prior to application.

Your parents/spouse must currently have UK citizenship.

Following the MOD announcement that the UK Armed Forces will now be able to recruit commonwealth citizens without the 5 year residency requirement, please note that the RAF continues to apply standard residency requirements for security clearance, ie, DV employment requires 7-years UK residency immediately prior to enlistment; SC requires 3-years.

FITNESS REQUIREMENTS

You must be physically fit to complete both initial and specialist training, and to do your role effectively. To check your fitness levels, we put every candidate through two or three separate fitness tests as part of the application process: Selection Fitness Test, Pre-joining Fitness Test or Pre-recruit Training Course.
How fit you need to be to pass these tests can vary depending on role, age and gender.

MALES - 100% pass rates:
AGE	2.4 Km Run	Multi-Stage Fitness Test	Press-ups	Sit-ups
	(Mins)	(Score)	(No.)	(No.)
15-16	11.39	9.03	20	35
17-29	11.11	9.10	20	35
30-34	11.36	9.04	19	32
35-39	12	8.09	18	29
40-44	12.26	8.03	17	26

FEMALES - 100% pass rates:
AGE	2.4 Km Run	Multi-Stage Fitness Test	Press-ups	Sit-ups
	(Mins)	(Score)	(No.)	(No.)
15-16	13.54	6.07	10	32
17-29	13.23	7.02	10	32
30-34	13.47	6.08	9	29
35-39	14.13	6.04	8	26
40-44	14.48	5.08	7	23

You can see the protocols for Press Ups & Sit Ups here:

PJFT/PRTC Protocols

You can download an MP3 file of the Multi-Stage Fitness Test below, listen to the introduction file first:

RAF MSFT: Intro

RAF MSFT: Bleep Test

You can see a video demonstration of the PRTC Fitness Test here:

RAF Fitness Test

A 12-week fitness plan with detailed information to help you get ready for all of the fitness tests can be downloaded here.

HEALTH REQUIREMENTS

BEFORE YOUR APPLICATION:

There are health requirements that must be met by all applicants:

Body Mass Index requirements:

Age	Male and female minimum	Male and female maximum	Male maximum with additional assessment	Female maximum with additional assessment
18 +	18	28	32	30
16 to < 18	17	27	27	27

Calculate your BMI now, click here.

Eyesight requirements vary for different roles. A requirement to wear glasses or contact lenses may be allowed for aircrew.

Get in touch if you have any questions about the health criteria, or would like to find out if any additional health requirements apply to your role of interest.

DURING YOUR APPLICATION:

The Medical Risk Assessment that all candidates undergo is there to make sure that you are healthy enough for the intense training required by the RAF. Your application will be rejected if you fail to meet the minimum acceptable medical standard for entry. Your medical history is confidential and is not disclosed to those not authorised to hold this information.

BACKGROUND CHECKS

YOU MUST:

Declare any previous spent and unspent convictions
Check if you qualify under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 through this summary
Have a basic background check to get Security Check level clearance

DISQUALIFYING FACTORS

YOU CAN'T APPLY FOR THE RAF IF YOU:

Have been or are member of a group that stirs up racial hatred and violence
Are waiting to appear in court, or have unspent convictions. You may also have to declare spent convictions for certain roles
Misuse drugs, solvents and anabolic steroids. But each case is considered upon its own merits
Have tattoos, brands or bead implants that are obscene or offensive.
Any permanent or temporary tattoos, whether ordinarily visible or not, must not be obscene or offensive (eg, racist, anti-religion or belief, crude, overtly sexist, homophobic, drug related or of an extreme political nature). Tattoos may be worn on the side and back of the neck but tattoos on the back of the neck must not extend above the natural hairline (scalp tattoos are not permitted). In addition, tattoos must not be visible below the sleeve cuff while wearing uniform, although a single finger (not thumb) tattoo that could be covered by a ring may be permitted
Have body piercing which causes holes that do not close up
Declare yourself to be an 'undischarged' bankrupt

Beard Policy:

A revised facial hair policy has been agreed by the Air Force Board which will allow serving personnel to wear a smart, neatly-trimmed, full-set beard whilst maintaining high standards of appearance. The length of acceptable beards is between Grade 1 (2.5mm) and Grade 8 (25.5mm).

The wearing of beards during Phase 1 and Phase 2 training is currently under consideration and details will be advised when available.

If you don’t have any of the above, you might still be able to apply. For more information contact your local AFCO.

GOT WHAT IT TAKES?

Apply here and receive an email that invites you to your full online application.