British Army trainees complete first CFS-endorsed drone operator course

Inzpire has delivered the first Central Flying School (CFS)-endorsed remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) operator training course for the British Army at the Royal School of Artillery (RSA).

The course lasts three weeks and is a conversion-to-type course that is designed for students with varying levels of prior experience and for students new to flying UAS systems.

Ian Williamson is the Senior RPAS Subject Matter Expert at Inzpire. He said, “It has been a privilege to deliver the first CFS-endorsed RPAS operator course at the Royal School of Artillery, which is at the forefront of integrating uncrewed technologies to increase combat effectiveness.”

A significant milestone in British Army RPAS training.

We’ve delivered the first Central Flying School-endorsed operator course at the Royal School of Artillery under Project TIQUILA, raising the standard of uncrewed systems training across the force. https://t.co/18CZEU7WcU pic.twitter.com/rvVyF0FmoD

— Inzpire (@InzpireLimited) August 6, 2026

Williamson now has over 155 flying hours on the Eagle system and a background with MQ-9 operations. He serves as one of two lead instructors and delivered the inaugural course.

British Army formalises its RPAS training

According to Inzpire, the course provides, “a conversion-to-type qualification for the Stalker VXE30 uncrewed aerial system (UAS), known as the EAGLE by the British Army and used primarily for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations.”

As part of the course, students complete a comprehensive ground school phase that includes the operation of the Eagle’s Ground Control Station and progresses with two weeks of live flying the aircraft.

Craig Brown, the Head of Aviation Training Division (ATD) at Inzpire, said that it shows the commitment of everyone involved in Project TIQUILA to “raise the standard of uncrewed systems training within the British Army.”

The course is intended to reflect a shift in how the British Army approaches uncrewed systems and training. It is transitioning from the fielding phase to a structured programme embedded in the British Army’s principal artillery training establishment.

The TIQUILA programme & Eagle UAS

The course is related to the Lockheed Martin UK TIQUILA programme, which provides uncrewed systems to the British Armed Forces. Inzpire develops courseware and delivers both the operator and the maintainer training.

Lockheed Martin describes TIQUILA as a complete Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) programme utilising small uncrewed aerial systems (SUAS).

Lockheed also says, “We are partnering with the UK Ministry of Defence to provide both tactical and long endurance uncrewed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) services, sophisticated targeting and automated target and threat recognition driven by artificial intelligence (AI) technology.”

Meanwhile, the EAGLE, based on the Stalker VXE30, is a Group 2 UAS designed to provide long-endurance imaging and ISR capability.