I’m with you on everything you are saying. My only point is that we have proven that, with the right tools and technology, what did not work or work well yesterday becomes a piece of cake today.
One of my favorite analogies is the old tuners on tv’s. When I was a kid (early 60’s) my grandfather had a remote control tv. I could bang two forks together to get it to change channels. The technology involved a barrel tuner, a motor to tune it and solonoids operated by a sensor that detected certain sound pitches from a remote control that LITERALLY clicked a piece of spring steel against a metal rod that vibrated to a particular pitch.
It was cumbersom and expensive, and not all that reliable. Sure, the technology and quality improved, but it was a far cry from what we have today.
And what we have today is so reliable and cheap because it performs the same task with completely different technology at every link in the chain.
As this functionality (unmanned combat aircraft) continues to improve, new technologies will be discovered and applied to the point where maybe a future version will make what we have today look like the old barrel tuner with a motor drive.
It is inevitable, if the Lord waits.
I think the movie, “Stealth”, does a great job of providing a reason for caution with this type of technology. There is no (and IMHO will never be) a replacement for the human element of aircraft combat missions. Someone remotely piloting a combat aircraft from thousands of miles away just doesn’t not provide the same as having a pilot in the cockpit. Technology will not improve this element IMHO.