Like any pilot, he sees the sky and what lies around it.<\/p>\n
However, in place of where a clear polycarbonate canopy would be in most aircraft, Captain (CPT) Eugene Chia\u2019s field of vision is dominated by two large screens full of constantly scrolling data and panoramic camera feeds that offer a glimpse of the outside world \u2013 along with whiteboards and computer systems that his four-man crew steadily update.<\/p>\n
He is actually stationed at the ground control station (GCS) of the Republic of Singapore Air Force\u2019s (RSAF) Heron 1 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old UAV pilot and his team fly the Heron 1 remotely, controlling the drone from up to 200km away via a secure telecommunications channel.<\/p>\n Exterior of the Heron 1 ground control station \u2013 the mission hub where a four-man crew, comprising two flying crew and two air imagery intelligence specialists, operates unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) missions.<\/p>\n PHOTO: REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE AIR FORCE<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The UAV can remain in the air for over 24 hours at a time without refuelling, something traditional aircraft cannot do.\u00a0<\/p>\n They provide ground commanders with real-time intelligence on terrain and military assets, supporting both peacetime surveillance and reconnaissance requirements.<\/p>\n Because of the specialised nature of its reconnaissance work, the UAV community \u2013 made up of UAV pilots and air imagery intelligence experts \u2013 is particularly tight-knit, working closely with each other to achieve mission success.\u00a0<\/p>\n With his parents at the RSAF Combined Graduation Ceremony in 2023, then-Lieutenant Chia earned his wings as a UAV pilot after six months of training.<\/p>\n PHOTO: COURTESY OF EUGENE CHIA<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The strong camaraderie is especially evident during overseas exercises, such as Exercise Forging Sabre in the United States or Exercise Cope Tiger in Thailand, when the entire community, including the air crew and air force engineers, comes together to carry out a mission. <\/p>\n These moments never fail to fill CPT Chia with pride.<\/p>\n \u201cWe take the time to engage one another and understand each other\u2019s roles,\u201d he says. \u201cThis helps us see the bigger picture \u2013 the entire chain of work involved to enable UAV operations.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery time, these exercises and deployments reinforce my decision to sign on as a UAV pilot.\u201d<\/p>\n Like many other Ministry of Defence (Mindef)\u00a0scholarship recipients, CPT Chia\u2019s first exposure to the RSAF was through the Mindef Experience Programme. It is a four-day introductory programme for polytechnic and junior college students to interact with active in-service personnel from each of the Singapore Armed Forces\u2019 (SAF) branches.\u00a0<\/p>\n At Paya Lebar Air Base, the roar of scrambling F-16 afterburners thundered through his chest, and with it, a conviction to join the RSAF in 2018 upon receiving <\/p>\n The SAF Scholarship<\/u><\/p>\n <\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt really drove home the fact that the RSAF has a very high emphasis on real-time operations,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n But it was only after interacting with several UAV community members that his interest was piqued in flying UAVs instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMany seniors and commanders had shared that this was a domain that was rapidly evolving and on the cusp of expanding,\u201d CPT Chia, then just a recruit, recalls. \u201cI wanted to be directly involved in contributing to this change and evolution of air warfare.\u201d<\/p>\n The RSAF, including the UAV team, trained alongside the Royal Thai Air Force and United States Air Force \u2013 a contingent of over 2,000 personnel \u2013 during the 2023 trilateral mission Exercise Cope Tiger in Korat, Thailand.<\/p>\n PHOTO: COURTESY OF EUGENE CHIA<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n CPT Chia went on to read history and philosophy of science at the University of Cambridge, then completed a master\u2019s in science and international security at King\u2019s College London. <\/p>\n Studying overseas taught him to work with people from diverse backgrounds and to grasp cultural sensitivities quickly, skills he now relies on during exercises and exchanges with foreign militaries. <\/p>\n But it also made him more aware of how quickly the world is changing, from geopolitics to technology and cross-border risks. Events in recent years have also proved how forward-looking his superiors\u2019 words had been.<\/p>\n In ongoing conflicts on the other side of the world, drones have been used in far greater numbers than ever before, thanks to lower cost and ease of deployment.<\/p>\n In his current posting as a strategy officer in the RSAF, he works on integrating aerial systems (UAS) into the RSAF\u2019s capabilities \u2013 not just how to use them, but just as importantly, how to defend against them.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe kinds of things you use to deal with drones are not the same as those you use to deal with conventional aircraft threats,\u201d says CPT Chia.\u00a0<\/p>\n At Exercise Forging Sabre 2023, the RSAF UAV team performed cooperative lasing drills, during which the crew rehearsed precision targeting and joint fires under realistic, high-tempo conditions.<\/p>\n PHOTO: REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE AIR FORCE<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Up until one or two years ago, very few air forces in the world were equipped to deal with the proliferation of drones in the airspace, he continues.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe recognised that this area needed attention. Consequently, we created this new office to develop the capabilities for the SAF to stay agile in managing this rapidly evolving threat.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/picture><\/div>
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