Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch
I don't believe that the capability is there today to replace fighters with unmanned or ground piloted drones.
You basically lose your situational awareness. Your instincts are slowed down. Drones do not travel as fast as jets, and don't have the survivability against either long range anti-air, or another craft.
while they're great at loitering at high altitudes and hitting ground targets, they're not really made for or are good for dog fighting.
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That's my point. Dog-fighting and air to air superiority is not really a vital capability in todays' world. We are not under threat from other fighters or bombers. Canada's theatres of operation don't require dog-fighting either. Drones suit our mission much better. The only reason that Predator drones don't travel as fast or are not as manueverable as jets is that the current ones are not designed for that purpose. Drones can concievably be much faster and agile than jets because there is no limitation in keeping a pilot conscious. Drones are not automated, they are flown by pilots remotely which have full access to audio and visual information. They have as much situational awareness as the technology that is integrated can provide them which is about the same amount of data that a modern helmet mounted HUD and avionics system can. It's not the cold war anymore, that's why the US stopped F-22 production as well.