Can Drones Replace Manned Fighter Aircraft?
ATTACK OF THE DRONES! To quote the baddie in IRON MAN 2: 'Drone Better'. Was he right, or very wrong? There is no question that it makes sense to try moving toward drone dominance, for a number of reasons: 1: Saving Money? Drones are probably, prima facie, a less 'taxing' investment that training a person / army of said and still having to provide hardware to match. 2: Preventing lost lives? Seriously. It seems logical to presume to some extent, that robotics in the air = 'safer' than human counterparts. Why risk the lives of pilots in a cockpit, when it is both plausible and efficient, to avoid that needless deployment? 3: Stealth. Presumably, if one wishes to win wars, surprise remains key, right? As in a weapon in war itself. And, by removing or at least, reducing, significantly, any human element in the fight, one thereby also minimises risk of blowback / leaked intel and so on? Silent -ish drones. Programmed. Honed. Dropped in. With the sole threat ...