The thing is, if and when the US can make its RC channels completely secure (ho-hum) then will the F-22 be the last human operated aircraft in the USAF arsenal? Is the drone the future? Cheap (ish), no human cost, and able to maintain station for lengthy periods without the risk of human fatigue running into it (one pilot gets tired, you pull him out of the chair, put him by the pool and get another pilot to put a quarter in), heck if the work on the micro-batteries pans out then solar powered UAVs could stay in the air indefinitely.
The biggest hurdle at the moment is securing control links.
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