"Last manned fighter..."


Message posted by Magoo on August 21, 2001 at 23:27:40 PST:

From 'Flight International' magazine, 7-13 August 2001

>At a recent conference in Baltimore, SecNav Gordon England (former leader of the GD/LM F-16 program at Ft Worth) predicted that the JSF may be the last US manned tactical combat aircraft ever designed because of the emergence of unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) technology.

>He said, "We could be designing...our last manned combat airplane...It is my judgement that it is time to start planning for a full spectrum of unmanned systems..."

This could ultimately mean that we will not be seeing too many manned aircraft in the skies around Groom Lake in the future (apart from those taking part in flag exercises). Indeed, it is likely that SecNav would be 'in-the-know' about what black capabilities the US has, so unless some of the manned aircraft rumored to exist at Groom now are further advanced than the JSF, we may be seeing nothing BUT UAV/UCAVs from now on.

Watch for the X-45 and X-47A programs to begin flying later this year, with demonstrative combat missions in 2002/3, and a full-scale prototype and EMD phase from 2004 onwards. The jet powered 'Predator B' may also be flying with up to 16 Hellfire missiles in the near future, although this will probably only be a stop-gap capability pending the maturity of the X-45 or similar concepts.

We live in changing times...

Magoo


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