As technology transforms the face of the battlefield, the impasse over whether drones can replace advanced crewed fighter jets like the F-35 Lightning II has increased.
High-profile figures, such as Elon Musk, aver that the future lies in uncrewed systems; however, military experts insist that human-piloted aircraft must coexist with autonomous machinery.
Elon Musk Ignites Frenzy Over F-35 Amplitude
Last week, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk called the F-35 an outdated aircraft in the era of drones. As Business Insider observes over social media, he argued that manned fighters are obsolete, putting pilots at risk unnecessarily in scenarios of modern warfare, which increasingly feature advanced airborne threats and drones.
Drawing on the conflict in Ukraine, where drones have become critical tools for surveillance and strikes, Musk said autonomous warfare is the future in waiting.
"Manned fighter jets are obsolete in the age of drones anyway. Will just get pilots killed," Musk said via NDTV.
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Why Drones Are Changing the Nature of Warfare
Drones have revolutionized war due to their ability to offer inexpensive alternatives for reconnaissance, precision strikes, and tactical maneuvers. Drones are small, versatile, and relatively cheap.
As such, it has proven to be of immense value for land conflict warfare. With expansive air and sea combat theater, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, drones have limitations with regard to payload capacity, speed, and range.
The Case for Crewed Fighter Jets
According to experts, despite the advancements in drone technology, crewed aircraft like the F-35 could still remain indispensable.
According to airpower analyst Justin Bronk, "no current uncrewed system can offer the range and versatility of the F-35."
The stealth fighter at the same time is a bomber, surveillance platform, electronic warfare tool, and communication hub, functions that drones cannot as yet fully replicate.
Critical decision-making skills are brought to unpredictable combat situations by human pilots, while autonomous systems, as efficient as they are, often lack the adaptability necessary for missions dynamic in nature.
Human pilots provide invaluable flexibility and situational awareness for missions where rapid, nuanced decisions are essential.
Hybrid Approach: Crewed and Uncrewed Systems
The US DoD is weighing hybrid approaches that fully take advantage of the strengths and weaknesses of crewed and uncrewed aircraft. Programs, such as pilotless F-16s and collaborative combat systems, are seeking to increase the efficiency of operations.
As noted by Mark Gunzinger at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, an optimal solution will be some form of hybridizing the complementary strengths of crewed and uncrewed systems to maximize combat effectiveness.
"If I develop an aircraft that does not require a human in the cockpit, I could develop one that could pull 15 Gs, 20 Gs because you're no longer worried about the physiology of the human," retired naval aviator Guy Snodgrass said.
What Future Airpower Looks Like
Although the F-35 is expensive and, in many ways imperfect, it remains an essential bridge to the future of airpower. The armed forces are still perfecting their tactics so that drones and crewed aircraft can operate in tandem. That hybrid capability promises adaptability and resilience as battlefield conditions continue to shift.
