RAF Weapon Technician (Getting trained on EOD)

[Mark6597]

Hi,

I'm 16 and I hope for a future career in the RAF. I have been looking at lots of different roles and the Weapon Technician role appeals to me the most. I have read on the RAF website that once you have become a fully qualified Weapon Tech you can volunteer to be trained on bomb disposal. But is it as simple as just 'volunteering'? Is there anything you actually have to do or achieve to get on the course? I'm interested in bomb disposal because I could save a lot of lives and it would be a challenge!

If there is any ex or currently serving Weapon Tech's that could answer this that would be great!

 

[Pikeman]

You can just volunteer for RAF EOD, however, if all you want to do is EOD I would suggest you consider joining the RLC and work towards becoming an Ammo Tech. Armourers have plenty of jobs that save lives, ejection seat work, putting bombs on Aircraft so that we can blast some one back to the stone age, various things not just EOD. If you want the option of various roles and camps then go with becoming an Armourer, there is no garuntee that you will spend all your time on EOD. If that is all you want, then go with the RLC or RE.

 

[timaloy]

Having been on the rafs on eod sqn for 5 years before o left recently, the sqn is being chopped in half as there is no real need for eod. If you wanna do eod join the army or navy. Eod in the RAF is very clique and you will.spend all your time doing **** jobs and servicing stuff that never gets used. They also brush over everything that doesn't interest them to the point they are ineffective in a combat role

 

[spike7451]

How good are you with a shovel?..

I did my A(EOD) course at Wittering wayyyyy back as it would be my war role when I went to MPA,Instead I went on 1435!.
Most EOD duties in the RAF were a secondary war role,meaning you did your day job on a squadron,in the Armoury or Role Bay during the week,then during excercises you did EOD.In the case of the Armoury,unce you had issued the stations war stock of guns,you then went onto EOD duties.

 

[jti]

RAF EOD is also on wind down, I would argue that by the time you would of finished your basic and trade training there may not be much of an EOD element left. There is so much more to being an Armourer, as suggested in previous posts here and on other threads.
The RLC carries out the bulk of IED disposal (the more traditional impression of EOD) in the UK and on Ops, but they are a very specialised branch with little in the way of diversity and for the first couple of years you'll be treated like private solider.

Overall the publics impression and the recruitment spin is a little different to the reality of what RAF EOD does in reality, and as a SAC you'll spend a good couple of years operating a shovel.

Saying that the two years I spent at the AEOD school were a blast, but that was 16 years ago!

 

[timaloy]

You have to complete your q ops, before being eligibile for eod also, so that's 3 years after your training finishes, rlc are the lead for iedd so if you fancy looking for ieds rlc ammo tech is for you, if you fancy digging up ww2 bombs and conventional weapons disposal then the royal engineers is for you, if you wanna be weeding, sitting in the t bar bored out of your skull and getting **** assesments then RAF eod is for you