RAF Waddington is the only place in the UK where they operate drones that are in active battlezones. The No.39 Squadron RAF began operating from the Creech Air Force Base in Nevada training and then operating the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper before being relocated to this location. No.13 Squadron RAF also operates here. Three pilots undertake the operations at all times with a long chain of command that include people watching the drone footage in real time to make assessments on the situations. Operators based in Waddington would, in sense, be commuting to and from the battlefield everyday, from the safety of their homes to various places in the Middle East. This has led to drone warfare being seen as a ‘post-heroic warfare’ where in some cases video-gamers are being sort after more than the stereotypical solider.
