[Chainmail]

Nah. The future of aerial combat is unmanned. Smaller envelope, cheaper to make, higher sustained G-loads, losses are immaterial. Fighter cover will be hundreds of small, extremely maneuverable and completely expendable systems that will overwhelm any attacking aircraft of missiles.

Sorry, no silk scarves needed in the future airspace.

[Ouchthatonehurt]

Agree.
They will also have autonomous intercommunication and use “swarm” programs.

[pfflier]

Your preference for unmanned fighter drones armed with missiles assumes that technology can do what the human brain can't. Until artificial intelligence achieves parity with humans, it ain't gonna happen.

Sure, you can design a plane that will pull 12-15 Gs and be sensor and weapon laden but so will the other guys. That aerial battle will be one where the best programmer wins, not the best hardware.

With a pilot in the cockpit, the best programmer is onboard when the fight goes beyond "nominal".

[the OlLine Rebel]

Never put so much faith in technology.

It will never be “all”. And there will be reasons for that, possibly unfortunately discovered if they go all-in for such a Pollyanna view.

At best you can hope for 50% of a “fighting force”.

[Salgak]

And the Pilot Mafia is going to fight that ALL the way. . .

[GraceG]

[ Nah. The future of aerial combat is unmanned. Smaller envelope, cheaper to make, higher sustained G-loads, losses are immaterial. Fighter cover will be hundreds of small, extremely maneuverable and completely expendable systems that will overwhelm any attacking aircraft of missiles.

Sorry, no silk scarves needed in the future airspace. ]

True, you can replace all the support gear to keep a pilot alive in a jet with a box the size of a loaf of bread.

I think with all the materials science you can build cheap aluminium air frames and components that are more “swappable” even if it take a bit nmore wieght because you no longer need to support a pilot.