Reply to post: This is the Catch 22

US Navy robot war-jet refuels in air: But Mav and Iceman are going down fighting

Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward

This is the Catch 22

The problem as the forces look at it is this:

1 - Bring UAV's properly into service, completely automating the combat and even peace-time roles required of an aircraft and you:

- Lose jobs

- Lose kudos

- Lose command and control among the other services

- Lose funding

at the expense of:

- Saving lives

There will always be people willing to volunteer, so saving lives isn't a priority. Keeping their position in the military hierarchy and keeping their budgets is.

2 - Don't fully automate your war and peace capabilities

- Keep people in the seat

- Keep kudos

- Keep funding

- Keep that position in the hierarchy

at the expense of:

- Risking your deployment capabilities as sending manned aircraft or even manned ships becomes more and more hazardous and a riskier decision and losing your position in the hierarchy.

The Navy pushed it because as stated, it kept them in a role, but realistically, there is very little reason as to why a fully automated carrier couldn't deploy with fully automated aircraft.

It would be a lot smaller, a lot cheaper and a lot safer. Then however, the Navy just becomes joystick jockeys and could be manned by a team of thirty. There would of course be massive maint crews, but that would probably get outsourced.

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