Fighter plane question

Does anyone know why the military uses manned fighter planes anymore?

I've been wondering for a while now and I believe I saw where a drone had been landed on a an aircraft carrier.

Wouldn't be better most of the time like in the f-16's or 35's to just do away with the pilot? In building them it seems a lot of the cost is in keeping the pilot alive and well with all the life systems aboard.

If a dog fight were to happen the robots don't care how many G's are incurred and it wouldn't be risking a highly trained pilot?

Any thoughts?

no question that is what the military is aiming for. Not quite there yet in all aspects I suppose.

Quote: petroglyph

Does anyone know why the military uses manned fighter planes anymore?

I've been wondering for a while now and I believe I saw where a drone had been landed on a an aircraft carrier.

Wouldn't be better most of the time like in the f-16's or 35's to just do away with the pilot? In building them it seems a lot of the cost is in keeping the pilot alive and well with all the life systems aboard.

If a dog fight were to happen the robots don't care how many G's are incurred and it wouldn't be risking a highly trained pilot?

Any thoughts?

I think it is fear of accuracy. When drones go bad it is a travesty. When pilots mess up they are rogue pilots.

I would agree that's where the military is headed. However, there are major (like, tens of billions each) contracts still being fulfilled for manned fighter building and sustainment, that the gov't will have to finish or disrupt the entire manu sector beyond what it can stand. The pol's can't take the heat for wasting the money if we buy them but don't use them. So I'm guessing it'll be a couple of decades before there's a serious drawdown in manned fighters/bombers.

Quote: beachbumbabs

I would agree that's where the military is headed. However, there are major (like, tens of billions each) contracts still being fulfilled for manned fighter building and sustainment, that the gov't will have to finish or disrupt the entire manu sector beyond what it can stand. The pol's can't take the heat for wasting the money if we buy them but don't use them. So I'm guessing it'll be a couple of decades before there's a serious drawdown in manned fighters/bombers.

It just looks to me like a couple of rednecks and a few cases of beer over a weekend could tear the guts out of some predator drone and swap it out for where the pilot sits.

You gotta think outside the box, man.

Take the AN/APG RADAR out of an F-15 and put it in a thrust vectoring balloon. Tie a crate of AIM-54's to it, float it up to 80,000', and wait. Ain't nothing gonna shoot it down, and you have 24/7 air superiority for pennies on the dollar.

Oh, when I come to power...

I will be at a Naval Air Station training facility in Texas this week. I would be interested in what the people there think is a realistic time frame for our first squadrons of unmanned fighters. Assuming they don't already exist in the covert arena.

Quote: Face

You gotta think outside the box, man.

Take the AN/APG RADAR out of an F-15 and put it in a thrust vectoring balloon. Tie a crate of AIM-54's to it, float it up to 80,000', and wait. Ain't nothing gonna shoot it down, and you have 24/7 air superiority for pennies on the dollar.

Oh, when I come to power...

I think I can get most of that stuff down at "Pawn Stars" in Vegas, just got to negotiate with Chumlee.

Remote control signal jamming.

Quote: Dalex64

Remote control signal jamming.

Isn't there already thousands of them in the air?

I read where there is supposed to be 10 or so thousand flying over the USA by this or next year. Not all at the same time but that is still many in the air at the same time. Somebody way smarter than me is working on this stuff?

Harden it, password protect or something?

Another option, is a one or two piloted planes and a squadron of drones flying with them.

You don't want to put all your eggs in one basket anyway if you're designing war systems, so you could argue multiple systems which still include humans overlooking other systems is better than designing people completely out of the picture.

Yeah, you have remote pilots with drones, but having people in the theater is good until proven otherwise.

Dog fights in World War one were at lower altitudes and lower speeds and less powerful weapons but the theory is the same. Get on the guy's tail and fly him into the ground or force him to turn into your bullets.

Increase the speed and turning tightness and its the same thing only pilots start to gray out at each turn and lose peripheral vision.

Back seat guy even on hot mike and pounding on pilot's helmet can't get his attention.

Pilots now shut down every system they can before going into combat. Sensory overload already. Everyone knows robots would be better and can do tighter turns.

But do you think closing a tank factory in Minsk was any easier than closing a fighter factory in California.

Every tank commander wants a drone with a camera looking around that next curve in the road or the next block of urban buildings that might be hiding dozens of RPGs held by twelve year olds.

RPG's are 75 dollars. Drones tend to be gold plated and need escorts but they are cheap. Its the Tank and Tank Commander that are valuable.

I think you will see drone squadrons within 5 years, because all the pieces are in place and they're already doing that in limited deployments, and who knows what they're doing under black ops? But I stand on my estimate of 20 years before it's our primary method. I don't know that they'll put a manned pilot to lead drones in place, because they have E-AWACS and other ways of putting eyes on the combat theater, but it's might turn out to be an excellent transition tool.

The pilot-selects seem very upset about being slotted for Preds and Reapers..... Kind of a big bummer going from actual flying to "desktop" flying. From what I know drone pilots had their own AFSC, to being part of the Pilot job class.

Quote: DRich

I will be at a Naval Air Station training facility in Texas this week. I would be interested in what the people there think is a realistic time frame for our first squadrons of unmanned fighters. Assuming they don't already exist in the covert arena.

Your ass gets around.

Travel, hookers, AP, forums, family,Slot design,events etc. how you find the time and the ambition....well it makes me sick.

Casinos will use drones to shoot down people who win 1000 dollars a day.

Quote: AxelWolf

Your ass gets around.

hookers,...well it makes me sick.

You must have me confused with someone else. I haven't been fishing in years .