New UAV Operators Get Their Wings

22.12.2013 Noa Fenigstein and Naomi Tzoref - iaf.org.il

Last Wednesday evening, a graduation ceremony for the graduates of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operator Course was held at the Palmachim airbase, in the presence of the Commander of the IAF, Major General Amir Eshel. At the ceremony, another generation of operators received their operator wing pins and their officer insignia and made their way to the UAV squadrons of the force. "The Israeli UAV Division is considered the best UAV Division in the world"

The graduation ceremony for the UAV Operator Course was held last Wednesday evening at the Palmachim airbase, in the presence of the Commander of the IAF, Major General Amir Eshel, and was led by the commander of the base, Brigadier General Yoav Lior, and the commander of the Tel-Nof airbase, Brigadier General Tomar Bar. At the ceremony, officer insignia and operator "wings" were presented to the graduates. At the end of the ceremony, as per tradition, the graduates threw their officer hats high in the air.

Along the parade grounds, different UAV Division vehicles were put on display. The moment the new operators made an entrance, a "Heron" plane circled the sky, a sight that excited the guests. "The UAV division constitutes an important part of the connection between the air and the ground", said Commander of the IAF in his speech to the graduates. "In the frenetic and turbulent environment in which we find ourselves, the key to victory lies in the combining of forces and teamwork. The operators of the division bear much responsibility and they do so with honor. Nowadays, the Israeli UAV Division is considered the best UAV division in the world".

The new UAV operators in the IAF recently completed a seven month period of study of advanced UAVs at the UAV School at the Palmachim airbase. Only soldiers whose participation in the pilot course has been suspended for at least a year may join the course, so that they receive their platoon commander pin before their admission into the course at the Palmachim airbase. Now, at the end of the training period, the graduate operators will be placed in one of the UAV squadrons of the force where they will carry out visual reconnaissance missions for the IAF and all other security branches.