A remotely-piloted unmanned aircraft previously deployed to Afghanistan for surveillance has arrived at the Royal Australian Air Force's base at Amberley, west of Brisbane, as its latest training tool.

It is the first time the Heron has been flown from a major Air Force base within Australia.

The aircraft spent five years in Afghanistan where it clocked up 27,000 mission hours.

Wing Commander Matthew Bowers said the Heron would provide new training opportunities for personnel at Amberley.

"It's using technology that's available in most major airliners and certainly from Afghanistan we saw the Heron operate almost every day," he said.

"I really think there's going to be a greater increase or uptake of unmanned aviation or remotely-piloted unmanned aircraft."

The Heron will be flown alongside C-17s and Super Hornets.

It is controlled by pilots on the ground like Steve Edwards.

"Obviously there's no feel, so from that aspect everything is automated — automative take-off, automatic landing — I basically fly with a mouse, so it's like sitting at a desk," he said.

The aircraft can be sent on a mission for a maximum of 24 hours up to an altitude of 10,000 metres and travel at a speed of 120 kilometres per hour.

But pilot Jayson Nichols said there was not a big difference between the Heron and flying a normal aircraft.

"It's exactly the same in terms of flight planning, the aviation principles, the considerations we have with air traffic control — whether it's a manned platform or unmanned platform," Mr Nichols said.

The unmanned aircraft would also be sent on military exercises across Australia as well as search and rescues and peacekeeping missions.