America's F-35 will become a drone
In the not too distant future, America's fifth generation aircraft - the F-35 - will not need pilots.
Speaking to Axios on February 28, US Senator Gary Peters quoted a military source as saying that the F-35s currently in production will be the last ones that will need pilots.
“Autonomous systems will play an increasing role in warfare. Drones will also change the face of warfare. We will have autonomous aircraft, and possibly unmanned tanks,” Peters said.
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| In the near future, America's fifth-generation aircraft - the F-35 - will not need pilots..Photo: Sputnik |
One idea for getting unmanned F-35s into combat is to have two manned F-35s fly alongside and control four unmanned F-35s. This would allow the unmanned F-35s to carry most of their weapons while leaving out the sensors, making the drones cheaper.
In 2006, Lockheed Martin also mentioned researching the unmanned system of the F-35 stealth fighter.
The F-35 is the most expensive program in US history with a total cost of up to 1,500 billion USD. All three lines F-35A, F-35B and F-35C have had successful test flights. Currently, the F-35A and F-35B are officially operating in the US Air Force and Marine Corps. The F-35C is expected to begin operating this year but will not be assigned to the US Navy until 2021./.