[ISL]

You can save a lot of weight, iterate faster, undertake missions without concern for return, make big wins in the aerodynamic department, get improved situational awareness with strategically sited cameras, and more.

Of course, if someone can interfere with or hack your link with the aircraft, you're hosed. If they can turn it around and attack you with it, it's even worse.

That, and the Blue Angels will be far less romantic when there's nobody at the helm of each finely-tuned airbreathing rocket.

Things change.

(Modern air-to-air missiles are $0.4-1.2M [1,2]. Modern war is expensive; we trade consuming lives at war for consuming economic output at home.)

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIM-9_Sidewinder

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIM-120_AMRAAM

[hxc]

While they don't go into detail on which type of data link which is responsible for controlling the aircraft I am going out on a limb saying that it's controlled via BLOS (Beyond Line of Site) instead of typical LOS, they did not state how far it flew away from that coast so I am just guessing here. I have worked on a lot of predators, reapers, and also inside their GCS'. No one has came close to "Hacking the data link" there has been attempts to jam the signal but no loss of aircraft due to it.

Source: I worked with the Reapers and Predators (deployed and at home) in the Air Force and as s contractor working for L-3 Communications as a Satellite Engineer (Responsible for the datalink).

[qwerta]

Iran captured drone by spoofing GPS signal:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93U.S._RQ-170_incid...

[hxc]

That drone is very different compared to a MQ-9 Reaper or a MQ-1 Predator. The RQ-170 is meant the be stealth and pretty much take pictures and Full Motion Video (FMV) while the Reaper and Predator carry not only sensors but also weapon payloads. The RQ-170 pretty much flies on a track that is uploaded and is not actually controlled by a person after it is uploaded, unlike the MQ-1/9 there is an actual pilot flying via a datalink.

[toomuchtodo]

On the contrary, I think the Blue Angles shows will be even more awe-inspiring when the aircraft fly within inches of each other, and perform maneuvers that no human pilot could sustain.