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Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen
Nor do I dispute that drones will be of value, or may someday completely replace manned combat aircraft. However, that day is a long way off, and the technology has a long way to go. Still, the United States will, one day, have to face off against a world power with a legitimate air force and naval air power. This is a certainty. Throwing the development of air-to-air combat under the bus is not particularly wise, even in the light that our current enemy consist of a collection of RPG-toting thugs.
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Once again, I DO NOT ADVOCATE the complete replacement of manned aircraft with drone.
We certainly will go against a modern power again. Which is exactly why we should pursue the drone. Because when we go up against that power, we will lose ships, aircraft, and men. War isn't some gallant game of mano y mano, mind against mind. War AT IT'S BEST is murdering the other guy with him not being able to touch you. Unmanned cow bombers do that. They are the biggest potential gain in conventional carrier striking power seen EVER. We can buy lots of them and afford to throw them away. All they have to be able to do is fly to point A, drop bombs, and return to land. We can build hordes of them much more cheaply than any manned strike fighter. There is NO reason to put manned assets up front on a Day 1/Raid 1 scenario. It offers ABSOLUTELY NO ADVANTAGE over unmanned. Man makes war best by building the better gun that fires the better bullet. It is about time we learned this and stopped playing 8th Air Force. The best gun is the kind you can fire without giving a damn if someone kills the platform utilizing it, because there is no man in it to be killed.
Imagine waves of these things attacking our future enemy. The enemy fighters have to hunt a large number of fully VLO'd drones that are coming to bomb their homeland, all the while avoiding getting sniped at by the manned fighters behind the drones lobbing AIM-120D/FMRAAM at them.
We haven't "thrown air to air under the bus" (at least not yet). We currently have to most capable air to air machine ever built, and it will remain superior for the foreseeable future.
PD