While the USAF wants to be able to use actual pilots inside the new 6th Generation air combat fighter, they are clear that they want Unmanned Air Vehicle capabilities. In other words, they want to fly them using remote control. It seems like they have finally realised that they may not need Maverick and Iceman anymore.
The romantic in me hates this idea. However, I don’t see any reason why they should risk pilots’ lives by actually putting them in the plane. Especially when the remote pilots would be able to make maneuvers that are impossible now because of the extreme, life-threatening G forces that they generate.
But then again, why make the planes with a cockpit when they can save millions by taking out sophisticated instrumentation and life support systems? They can go unmanned all the way and get over with it. It’s the most logical option.
No companies except Boeing—see the image above—have presented models of these theoretical 6th Generation fighters yet. [FEDBizzOpps—Thanks Karl!]
Nodeity
Monday, November 8, 2010 at 9:42 AMSomehow I doubt the cockpit will make it to the final design :)
James Mac
Monday, November 8, 2010 at 12:45 PMI know they don’t consult me, but I’d rather they work on some kind of inertial compensator instead of losing the pilots.
Steve
Monday, November 8, 2010 at 1:09 PMAll future fighters will be drones.. it’s inevitable.
-Cheaper craft. 1/5 the price of a comparable manned fighter.
-No risk to pilot.
-Combat-ready craft no longer limited to the number of pilots, or how fast you can train them, but simply how many drones you can get off the assembly line.
-No training costs for pilots.
-Superior craft. Removal of life support, cockpit, ejection seats, etc.
-Fighter is no longer hamstrung by the physical limitations of the pilot inside to withstand g-forces, but rather the much higher tolerance of steel, titanium, carbon fibre and ceramics.
Those Hunter Killer machines from the Terminator movies just looked a whole lot scarier.
Ozoneocean
Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 7:23 PMYou still need trained pilots, just not IN the planes.
Paul
Monday, November 8, 2010 at 9:04 PMI don’t like the idea of machines killing humans, at least now there is a human on a laptop somewhere pushing the “kill” button. Lets keep him there for the new technology too…
Ozoneocean
Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 7:33 PMMachines have always killed humans ever since we started using them for that purpose.
The only difference between drones and a rife, or even a simple bomb is just more parts. Those road side bombs (or IEDs as the dicks call them) are the perfect thoughtless killing machines, without the need of a human to press any buttons (if they’re made that way). Ever since we devised the first landmine we went beyond the future you fear.
At least maybe with fully autonomous drone technology we’ll move to a stage where we just have robots killing robots…?
Davo
Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 11:52 AMAnd then they gain sentience and question why humans are programming to them kill each other, which will result in a robot uprising wiping humans from the face of the Earth.
I for one welcome our Robot overlords!