[greedo]

The problem with relying on drones is threefold; Humans are excellent computers, the Mark 1 eyeball has some advantages over other optical systems, and drones rely on a passive electronic environment. Jamming GPS and other control frequencies would be the first course of action should we attempt to use drones on a serious opponent.

[Tuna-Fish]

> Humans are excellent computers

Humans are very slow. Humans are also squishy, fragile, heavy, and can't take G-forces very well. (Really, at all.)

> the Mark 1 eyeball has some advantages over other optical systems

These are rapidly going away with machine vision research.

> and drones rely on a passive electronic environment

Only ones with a human pilot. The air-to-air drones that will be deployed at the tail end of this decade will be completely autonomous after they receive their orders.

There is ridiculous amount of progress in a-to-a drones at the moment. Very nearly everyone who used to build/design fighters is now concentrating on drones. There will not be a seventh-generation manned fighter, and the sixth-generation ones will be outclassed very rapidly.

[greedo]

Humans are far superior at many of the tasks that require more than just following an algorithm. And the Mark 1 may not have Steve Austin abilities, but compared to scanning terrain with a Sniper/Lantirn pod, it is unbeatable. Talk to some of the guys who fly the Predators out at Creech, and they'll gladly tell you the unclassified shortcomings.

And autonomous air to air drones still need to be able to accept instructions/commands while in route, during combat, etc. The idea that we'll simply unleash 100 drones and create a killzone isn't something that's going to fly...

The reason all the companies are building and designing drones is because that what the governments/militaries are paying for. Private industry simply can't afford to do much R&D that isn't already contracted for by the DOD etc.

Finally, drones are easy pickings for manned aircraft. For permissive environments like the 'Stans and Iraq, sure. Up against someone with a real AD network, forget about it.