Interesting read, Aviator
Shortly after the F-22 was chosen over the F-23 I remember reading where many military aviation analysts believed that the F-22 would either be the last manned air superiority fighter built for the US or it would be built in numbers where perhaps 1/2 were manned, 1/2 were ROVs.
The growth in the use of and dependence upon ROVs/UAVs is certainly undeniable, but I have to ask if we aren't setting ourselves up to repeat mistakes we've made in the past. In the mid 1950s it was thought by many that guns were no longer needed on fighters because of combined closing speeds and the development of AAMs. Experience in Vietnam (and to a lesser extent the 1991 Persian Gulf War) proved this wrong. A few short years later (early 1960s) the US military began phasing out traditional dogfight type aircraft from front line service in favor interceptors and missile equipped jets for use in knocking down Soviet bombers. Again, the decision was proven during Vietnam to have been too hasty.
Technology's push often causes us to look in less traditional directions, but I wonder if this is necessarily a good thing. Take the F-22. I'm not an expert, but I've seen the plane up close and personal, and it is awesome- at least at air shows. Nevertheless, production has been halted. The original number requested was something like 750. That was cut to 339, now the USAF has got 183. So, is that it? Is there no alternative or plan to bolster the number of F-22s? Would the USAF had been better off in the long run if it had pressed for an updated Eagle (F-15X), one with cutting edge avionics and perhaps thrust vectoring and engines capable of super cruise, and left the deployment of an F-22 style plane for a future generation to decide if it was needed?
I guess a broader question would be has the apex of the air superiority fighter been reached, and do we now find ourselves at the dawn of a new era, one where the traditional fighter will soon join the cast iron cannon, cavalry, and the battleship as weapons of bygone eras? In a future war can air superiority be achieved and maintained using UAVs, especially if we are fighting an enemy with a traditional air force? If not, and we no longer have large numbers of tactical aircraft with which to fight, what are our alternatives?
I don't mean to ramble on too long, but I think a lot about these things and believe a lot of other members here do too. Thanks for listening.