British share mission, US commander Published June 10, 2011 By Tech. Sgt. Emily F. Alley 451 AEW Public Affairs KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Behind controls of every MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft are a pilot and sensor operator. At Kandahar Airfield, they may be American or British, although they both wear a 451st Air Expeditionary Wing patch on their flight suits. It's a unique command structure; the British crew answers to both their own nation's leadership as well as an American commander of the 62nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron. The arrangement is suited to the Reaper's mission, however, because surveillance technology evolves quickly and the two countries are able to adapt together. "It just works well to have your foot in the door," said a British sensor operator. "You're not talking to a voice on the phone who's 5,000 miles away and whose face you've never seen." Both the United States and Britain have Reapers working out of Afghanistan and the flight crews are interchangeable. They fly either set of aircraft and their desks sit beside each other. "They train with us. They execute the mission exactly like we do, effectively, no matter the country," said an American pilot. "We keep it lighthearted." The British crew teasingly taped off the area around their desk to claim it as sovereign land and briefly hung a portrait of the queen, although she was joined by a photo of Pippa Middleton. A union jack flag hangs on the wall in the break room. During each morning briefing they'll include country facts. "We're learning cricket next week," said the American pilot. English is the international language of aviation, but though they speak the same language, a smattering of colloquialisms complicates conversation. During a flight, a British pilot had used the word "snagless" while speaking over a radio to an American control tower. The flight controller didn't understand that he'd been explaining the mission had gone "without a snag." They may find American speech confusing too, however. "You have to train your ear to hear what American flight controllers are saying," said the British pilot. Although he teases the other crew, an American sensor operator enjoys hearing their accent. "They have this posh accent, but then I'll come on the radio afterward and sound so average," he said. The British crew's mission is the same as the Americans in the squadron. The group deploys together for four months and agreed the experience had been an absolute pleasure.