Qualified Weapons Instructor
Encyclopedia
Qualified Weapons Instructor (QWI) (queue-why) is a qualification given to graduates of the Royal Air Force
or Royal Navy
Qualified Weapons Instructor courses. It is the equivalent to the United States Air Force Weapons School Course or US Navy's TOPGUN school.
Graduates of a QWI course are entitled to wear a QWI 'patch' on their flying suit which denotes their status as an expert practitioner in air warfare.
are selected for a place on the course. They qualify in both ground school and flying phases of the course in order to return to the frontline to instruct weapons and tactics on operational Squadrons
.
The QWI course lasts five months. It begins with an initial two weeks combined ground school where pilots and navigator
s learn about the weaponry of various aircraft. This is followed by five months of training back at their respective squadrons in the use of the weaponry specific to their own aircraft. The course culminates in the operational phase, the Combined QWI (CQWI), where everything learnt over the past five months is put into practice. Each morning the QWI students are given an Air Tasking Order
(ATO). They then need to plan the appropriate missions required to fulfil the objectives laid out by the ATO. The Hercules
and C-17 are included in the course to give the students an opportunity to integrate a slow mover into their mission plans.
There are QWI courses for Harrier, Tornado GR4, Hawk and Typhoon as of 2010.
In Feb 2010 the RAF introduced an additional new QWI course for aircrew of Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance platforms (such as Reaper, Nimrod, Sentry and Sentinel) as well as Air Battle Managers and Intelligence Officers. This course, the QWI (ISR) Cse has the equivalent status of the QWI annotation and equates to the Intel Weapons Course run by the USAF Weapons School. This course is run by 54(R) Sqn RAF and also lasts 5 months.
Pilots of other airforces can attend the school through the Ministry of Defence
's International Defence Training Program.
All graduates are awarded 'qwi' annotation in the Air Force List.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
or Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Qualified Weapons Instructor courses. It is the equivalent to the United States Air Force Weapons School Course or US Navy's TOPGUN school.
Graduates of a QWI course are entitled to wear a QWI 'patch' on their flying suit which denotes their status as an expert practitioner in air warfare.
Overview
At the end of the first or second tour of duty, the best front line fast jet aircrewAircrew
Aircrew are the personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of the crew depends on the type of aircraft as well as the purpose of the flight.-Civilian:*Aviator** Pilot-in-command** First officer** Second officer** Third officer...
are selected for a place on the course. They qualify in both ground school and flying phases of the course in order to return to the frontline to instruct weapons and tactics on operational Squadrons
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
.
The QWI course lasts five months. It begins with an initial two weeks combined ground school where pilots and navigator
Navigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
s learn about the weaponry of various aircraft. This is followed by five months of training back at their respective squadrons in the use of the weaponry specific to their own aircraft. The course culminates in the operational phase, the Combined QWI (CQWI), where everything learnt over the past five months is put into practice. Each morning the QWI students are given an Air Tasking Order
Air tasking order
An air tasking order is a means by which the Joint Forces Air Component Commander controls air forces within a joint operations environment. The ATO is a large document written in United States Message Text Format that lists air sorties for a fixed 24-hour period, with individual call signs,...
(ATO). They then need to plan the appropriate missions required to fulfil the objectives laid out by the ATO. The Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
and C-17 are included in the course to give the students an opportunity to integrate a slow mover into their mission plans.
There are QWI courses for Harrier, Tornado GR4, Hawk and Typhoon as of 2010.
In Feb 2010 the RAF introduced an additional new QWI course for aircrew of Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance platforms (such as Reaper, Nimrod, Sentry and Sentinel) as well as Air Battle Managers and Intelligence Officers. This course, the QWI (ISR) Cse has the equivalent status of the QWI annotation and equates to the Intel Weapons Course run by the USAF Weapons School. This course is run by 54(R) Sqn RAF and also lasts 5 months.
Pilots of other airforces can attend the school through the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
's International Defence Training Program.
All graduates are awarded 'qwi' annotation in the Air Force List.