The Eutopian Military Thinktank

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"If we need to create a new Airforce, we can't go seeking science fiction technologies liek unmanned fighters and such. We need manned aircrafts, and in them pilots with lots of hours up there training. UAV are essentials, also, but then again they are a very "field tested" technology, and they should be included as soon as possible into our Airforce. "

 

[Sterkarm]

I would like to inquire here as to thoughts on a new training regimen for the Eutopian Army. As the new deputy MDIS, I will be drafting a full training regimen for the next term to present to Mr. Tilly, and suggestions would be greatly appreciated, I want to ensure that those who have served for Eutopia have a voice in the training of new troops and veterans in the new equipment.

 

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What Per Fourgéres failed to mention is that, with very few exceptions, UAVs don't actually carry weaponry. They're all very well and good for reconnaissance and the like, but, without conventional aircraft, they're next to useless when you actually want to shoot at something.

The reasons why remotely piloted aircraft usually don't carry weaponry are particular to where they were mostly developed (a superpower), who controlled the program (the airforce), and the fact that virtually the entire officer corps of that nation is made up of pilots. Thus, I would say it is a collective "John Henry"-type response (and remember, although he beat the machine, he died in the process) against a threat to the key skill that launched their careers, that binds them together, and represents their very self-image. Civilian political leadership is trying to change that policy bias. Furthermore, a superpower, by definition, expects to always enjoy air superiority, mitigating the risks to human pilots. From what I read about the current readiness of our airforce, we would not initially have air superiority. If we build/buy 100% conventional fighters, it will take us longer and cost us more to achieve that than if we build/buy a mix of conventional fighters and armed remotely piloted aircraft.

 

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In the real world UAV are recon planes, able to fly quietly and very high for days, equipped with top visual systems.

Experiments have been made with armed UAV, in the role of interceptors. I think that ground attack UAV would be kinda useless, a cruise missile can easily do the job and with less expense.
The problem with interceptor UAV is that the mind of the pilot is better than any computer....

Our needs are somewhat different. I would agree that pilots usualy fly planes better than a computer, but does the pilot have to be sitting in the plane, where he goes into tunnel vision at 8g and risks blacking out at 9g?

The cruise missile is like a ground attack UAV without a detachable bomb, which means you have to replace the computer, jet engine, and wings everytime you use a cruise missile, but on a ground attack UAV, only the bomb is not reused.

 

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I would be much favorable on a gorund attack version of a UAV.
I would be definitely against a Interceptor UAV.
That's all, i already explained the reasons why i think in air to air fight a piloted aircraft can still be better.

 

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The SU-37 fighters cost us about $67 million each including missiles and enough spare parts to last us for their normal operational lives. The interceptor UAVs had better cost less than half as much. On our home ground we supplement our fighters with SAMs. The Interceptor UAVs, at a minimum, would give us the ability to project that a bit. In a dogfight, the ability to pull a 12 or 15 g turn could make up for not having a pilot on board. I realize this has not been done yet. If it were easy, it would have. But it seems technologically feasible.

Besides, it doesn't have to be pure man versus machine. We can use them with our fighters, like a chess master using a pawn in a gambit, to get an advantage, attack with an interceptor UAV to force the enemy plane to react, which leaves it exposed to our manned fighters.