Posted on 08/01/2014 12:43:38 PM PDT by SZonian
Updated: August 1, 2014 11:32 AM
The striking power and stealth of the U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) concept was reduced to protect the role of the service’s next-generation of manned fighters, USNI News has learned.
In particular, the change in UCLASS from a deep strike stealthy penetrator into the current lightly armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) focused aircraft was — in large part — to preserve a manned version of the F/A-XX replacement for the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, several Navy, Pentagon and industry sources confirmed to USNI News.
Industry, Pentagon and Navy sources outlined a, “bureaucratic and cultural resistance to the introduction of unmanned aircraft onto the carrier.”
Those sources outline a conflict inside the service between naval aviation traditionalists locked onto preserving manned strike aircraft against separate elements that want to shift more of the burden of strike to unmanned systems.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.usni.org ...
Some conceptual pics at the link.
If the jets don’t meet the requirements, change the requirements.
hhmmmm
I’m really of the mindset that manned combat aircraft are obsolete.
I can think of no reason to continue to pursue manned combat aircraft from a pure performance standpoint. I’m sure people can say that a set of human eyes and decision making on site can’t be replicated and I might agree but only situationally.
Unmanned aircraft can deliver higher G thresholds than any human, they have more endurance. they don’t have the need for life support or crew comforts, they won’t be held hostage or paraded on TV if shot down, their operators don’t require as much in training resources, combat rescue teams don’t need to put themselves at risk to save them.
I am looking at manned combat aviation the way Billy Mitchell looked at the battleship navy. It’s over and the admirals don’t know it yet.
...Not to mention you no longer have to worry about a bunch of fighter jocks playing grab ass in Vegas....
They also look really cool on Iranian TV after they are hijacked.
Lightening the mission gets UCLASS into the fleet sooner. Once some aircraft are flying from ships it’ll be easier to qualify them for deep strike later.
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