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  • gkozak

Will Manned Aircraft Ever Become Outmoded?

Will there ever come a time when manned aircraft are no longer necessary, when their disadvantages outweigh their benefits compared to those of unmanned aircraft? Ultra long-range reconnaissance and patrol aircraft, with loiter times of days, weeks, and even months, already exist or are conceptually feasible. Fighter aircraft are far more maneuverable without pilots onboard, because humans pose limits on the number of Gs an aircraft can pull. Are we coming to the day when remotely-piloted aircraft completely supplant manned aircraft, or will there always be a need for a human in the loop? I am torn on this, and remember the late ’50s, when the British decided that manned aircraft were obsolete due to the rapid development of the missile. We see how that turned out. Anybody else?

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