CAE Wins $100M Air Force UAV Pilot Training Contract

CAE has won a $100 million five-year contract to manage pilot training on General Atomics-made drones for the U.S. Air Force, Defense News reported Friday.

Aaron Mehta writes CAE instructors will facilitate command and control coursework for MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper aircraft at air bases in California, New Mexico and New York.

The company expects to handle approximately 1,500 aviators pear year under the program, according to the report.

“The sheer number of Predator pilots and sensor operators are significantly more than in the early 2000s,” CAE spokesman Chris Stellwag told Defense News.

Mehta reports CAE was first awarded the five-year training deal in 1998 and won a recompete contract in 2003.