Zachstar - you are saying 2030 here, yet you make it seem like it should have happened 50 years ago? Flip flop why don't you.

Anyway, manned fighters will be a scarcity in the coming years, but always needed. After 2015, who knows if we will even have drones? Nanotech should be online shortly after and that will chance combat, the world, and possibly life for every last person on the planet. One suitcase will be able to kill every last man, woman, and child on the planet 50 times over.

-S

You mean like the ones in the Matrix? Or Skynet? Or Wargames?

Cool, where do we sign up?

You for one welcome the robotic overlords?

And yes it ought to have happened a bit ago. There is nothing special about drone CPUs except shielding.

In 1969 a computer had enough power to calculate burns, event times and even a lunar landing. While it got its data from a landing radar.

From there it is just AI. simple calculations to say "Will I die if I go left or right?"

Did we get it? Nope we got a program that took over a decade and a half to get a fighter in the hands of pilots yet has a good amount of CPU power itself.

Sure in 2030 we may have something better. but they will be unmanned. And manned fighters will not have any use.

Yes even transport and recon units will be unmanned as well.

I can see you've never experienced real AI. hahahaha!

Quit watching movies and possibly go into the field so that you can help make it a reality. Real AI is not so simple.

-S

Right and Global Warming does not exist.. Uh haaa

Manned aircraft are going away. The F-35 will be the last. Accept it.

Edit: Whopps I meant Manned US Military Aircraft. :p

Manned aircraft will always have less potential than unmanned.

And as far as AI, we are not quite there yet this minute. But give it a few years. Missiles can pull 20G maneuvers towards a target.

PD

Well of course. And the even bigger thing about it is how code is evolving for them to work better in groups.

Think about it. A long range mission from a CVN would consist of 5-6 drones with 1 of them a tanker drone that stays out of sensor range automatically. One of them can drop a multitude of scout drones to extend sensor abilities and the others can automatically attack valid targets and dodge enemy weapons fire without the mess of talking. The thought of a drone doing hard maneuvers to put cannon rounds or laser shots into a convoy or scattered troops is one I envision for these things.

So this big ole stealth bomber is gonna be a big ole drone. And it is about time!

BTW: Before you say the minidrone idea is pure fantasy. Keep in mind that we are now designing drones the size of flies. There have been jet engines no bigger than a model rocket motor. No good on endurance tho. But that is not needed when drones wont be sticking around for the enemy to move more defences in.