Qualified Weapons Instructor

Qualified Weapons Instructor (QWI) (queue-why) is a qualification given to graduates of the British Armed Forces Qualified Weapons Instructor courses. It is the equivalent to the United States Air Force (USAF) Weapons School Course or United States Navy (USN) Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center warfare schools (including United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program or TOPGUN).

QWI is the hardest to achieve flying qualification in the MOD with courses only ran annually and more selective in nature with candidates who are generally accepted as “best of their peers”. As such graduates of a QWI course are entitled to wear a QWI 'patch' on their uniform, denoting their status as an expert practitioners. QWIs are experts on their own platform or system; Cross-domain tactical capability integrators, and Capability influencers for future development and delivery. The QWI course is run by the Royal Air Force, although it is open to applicants from other Services dependent on qualification. While QWI, TOPGUN and the United States Air Force Weapons School were traditionally associated with the employment of kinetic energy weapons and with historical origins in the combat aircraft community, modern warfare experts recognize that kinetic and non-kinetic weapons systems are critical in current and future combat engagements. This is reflected in the expansion of the respective warfare schools over the past two decades Recognizing this the QWI qualification has expanded to include several non-kinetic fields and now strives to achieve Full Spectrum Warfare through effects based warfare. QWI is not to be confused with QFI Qualified Flying Instructor which is a non-tactical qualification.