Combat aircraft

H

AVING A FIGHTER as

advanced as a Project

‘Centurion’ Typhoon is only

half the battle. Manning that

 ghter with a pilot who is

e ectively able to massage

the potent tools at his or her  ngertips

is what brings ultimate capability

to the fore.

For the Royal Air Force, the quali ed

weapons instructors (QWIs, pronounced

‘q-whys’) are the essence of making

this high-end vision a reality. They

are the subject matter experts, the

problem-solvers, the ‘go-to’ o cers on

each squadron who possess the deep

knowledge of the weapons systems —

the ones a squadron turns to when the

chips are down.

No 29 Squadron, the Typhoon

operational conversion unit at RAF

Coningsby, is where the RAF’s Typhoon

QWI course is based. This is the most

demanding of courses for a hand-picked

selection of the brightest young Typhoon

The Royal Air

Force’s Typhoon

qualifi ed

weapons

instructor

course merges

the highest

levels of aircraft

capability with

the best possible

operators to

create a honed

team of man

and machine.

QWI students in

the cockpits of

their Typhoon

FGR4s, ready

for a mission

from Coningsby.

While the

simulator events

have grown in

complexity and

realism, the

live fl ying is still

hugely important.

All photos

Jamie Hunter

EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON // RAF WEAPONS INSTRUCTORS

60 April 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net

60-61 SUPP_QWI C.indd 60 15/02/2018 13:40