(February 16, 2014 at 2:31 pm)rasetsu Wrote:(February 16, 2014 at 1:57 pm)Minimalist Wrote: I think we are quickly reaching the stage where manned aircraft will be obsolete. Period.
I don't really know, but I would think duplicating sitrep in an unmanned drone would be very difficult. Not to mention the Vietnam experience in which we gave up on dogfighting because it was believed that the era was past, only to get our butts kicked when that rosy prediction turned out to be wrong.
At least if it were wrong, it will not result in the deaths of American pilots. That's a boon.
We can always redevelop technology rapidly in the scale of weeks to months. We cannot as easily recapture great pilots.
Slave to the Patriarchy no more
