UAVs today are not autonomous. They are remotely piloted by a human at a videogame console. Lose the link, lose the aircraft.
I can imagine a swarm of 2,000 small attack aircraft all falling out of the sky simultaneously because a version of STUXNET wormed it’s way into the attacker’s servers.
[ UAVs today are not autonomous. They are remotely piloted by a human at a videogame console. Lose the link, lose the aircraft.
I can imagine a swarm of 2,000 small attack aircraft all falling out of the sky simultaneously because a version of STUXNET wormed it’s way into the attacker’s servers. ]
No, they already have computer systems that you program the mission BEFORE they take off and they go run it and return to air field. Some of the more advanced systems can even fly back even IF their GPS goes out by looking at the ground / land marks and even the stars if at night!!!
That and while a pilot can even get disorentied and fly upside down without realizing it, a computer will nto make such mistakes...
It is just this tech hasn’t been rolled out ... yet...for use... even though it has been tested.
And I think even the current UAVs and Drones do have a “Return to base if contact lost” function already in them.
Autonomous, not telecommanded - as you said, the link is interruptable or can be captured. Autonomous has no link, does the deciding based on software and mission orders.
Think of how the Patriot system works and then imagine that kind of fire and forget being applied to fixed-wing attack or defense air systems. Given the huge advances in surface to surface and surface to air missile systems, commensurate advances will have to be made with our fixed wing air.
I am sure that everything that flies will be automated in the near future of combat - even medevacs.
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http://defense-update.com/products/n/netfires.htm
Canceled program, but it was based on autonomous UAVs - they just called them cruise missiles....:^)
The "man in the loop" was optional.