Welcome to Inzpire Dean
27 Jun 23
New Joiners
Dean ‘Deano’ Wilkinson Joins our Intelligence Division as an instructor, following 32 years in the Royal Air Force, where he amassed 4500+ hours as an airborne image analyst.
Deano joined the RAF in December 1989 and after basic and trade training was posted to the Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre (JARIC), RAF Brampton, as a photo intelligence assistant. This was followed by a posting to II(AC) Squadron Recce Int Centre, RAF Marham, and his first taste of the fast jet environment working with the Tornado low level IR sensor. This included two operational deployments to Saudi Arabia post the Gulf War.
Following promotion to Corporal, Deano returned to JARIC as a strategic analyst working non-air breathing sensors. During this tour he was seconded to RAF Molesworth working on LOCE, a US intelligence system.
Promotion to Sergeant saw him return to II(AC) Sqn (postings were a bit like riding a yoyo), this time as a senior image analyst and shift leader. He was selected as the lead analyst developing the ground station for the new Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for Tornado (RAPTOR). This led to deployment just prior to Gulf War II.
In 2004, Deano was selected as the first TG11 analyst to join the newly reformed V(AC) Sqn and become an airborne image analyst on the Sentinel R1. Completing the Airborne Specialist Course at RAF Cranwell in 2005, delays to the aircraft delivery saw him pass the first Sentinel operational conversion unit in May 2008.
Whilst waiting for the OCU, he was deployed to the US Embassy within the Green Zone, Baghdad, in 2007 where he worked with a small team of US and UK personnel conducting strategic engagements on behalf of the Iraqi Government. In 2009, Deano was also lucky enough to get a backseat ride in the Typhoon. He was flown by another member of the Inzpire team, Al Allsop, who only managed to make him sick once!
Deploying with the Sentinel for the first time in 2009 to Oman, he took part in the first operational mission over Afghanistan. Subsequent deployments saw him operating over Iraq, Syria, Libya, Mali and various other places around the globe. Deano flew the final deployed operational mission in January 2021 and the final operational mission for the platform from the UK in February 2021. Whilst on the platform, he was twice seconded to 54(R) Sqn as the rearcrew instructor and was the senior AIA instructor for several years on V(AC) Sqn. Over the almost 17 years he was on the Sentinel he amassed 4500+ hours, with over 3000 hours in operational theatres.
Deano has been married to his wife Kate for nearly 24 years and their daughter, Abbie, is hoping to study Professional Policing having just completed her A-levels. As a family, they love to travel and watch their favourite football team, The Mighty Mariners. Deano is an avid Formula 1 and Superbikes fan and ‘enjoys’ marathon running.
Welcome aboard Deano!
Latest News
Congratulations to Inzpire's Philip Johnston-Davis who receives King’s Coronation Medal
29.04.24
Inzpire
Philip is recognised for five years of continuous service in the RAF Intelligence Reserves
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