With stealthy contours and software composed of eight million lines of code, the F-35 fighter jet seems ultra-modern. A person cannot survive the same gravitational forces as a fighter jet, so without a pilot, jets can turn harder and faster. Three years ago, the U.S. Air Force converted six F-16 fighter jets into drones, allowing them to be flown to their mechanical limits for the first time. The airframes and engines of dog-fighting drones will be easier to build than current fighter jets, because they do not have to carry a pilot. Piloted fighter jets will thus join a long line of weapons systems that have been rendered obsolete: cavalry horses had no chance against tanks; and dreadnoughts were superseded by aircraft carriers.

Source: National Post September 01, 2016 20:26 UTC