Is the F-22 the last fighter jet with a human pilot?

Comrade69

Banned Member
F-35, T-50, J-20 are all newer than an F-22 but have human pilots. i think PBS has no clue :D
what he said

on top of that MAYBE f-15 silent eagle as well if that project gets going

unmanned planes is some 6th generation stuff

we just hit 5th generation and its probably here to stay until 2035
 

StingrayOZ

Super Moderator
Staff member
The other aircraft are more multiroled than the F-22, but yes, last fighter indeed, surely the F-35 has to more recent.

People have tried strapping a2a missiles onto UAV platforms, so far they have come up short. They make better bombers, but then again the germans had that technology since the early 1940's. Yet, we still have manned bombers...
 

Ozzy Blizzard

New Member
I remember Boeing's proposal for a 6th gen F/A-18EF replacement was a fighter with a cockpit but with the ability to operate unmanned. So even 6th gen platforms may have pilots, in some situations.
 

xhxi558

New Member
The risk with unmanned technology will always be that it may be able to be hacked, which might be a very expensive risk.
 

RobWilliams

Super Moderator
Staff member
Don't trust everything you hear in military documentaries. (e.g Weaponology: the Barrett AS-50 :confused:)
 

USA

New Member
The other aircraft are more multiroled than the F-22, but yes, last fighter indeed, surely the F-35 has to more recent.

People have tried strapping a2a missiles onto UAV platforms, so far they have come up short. They make better bombers, but then again the germans had that technology since the early 1940's. Yet, we still have manned bombers...
pleas look at the preditor c
 

rip

New Member
pleas look at the preditor c
I think that the question should be changed from “Is the F-22 the last fighter jet with a human pilot?” to “Is the fifth generation of fighter air-craft the last generation to have onboard human pilots?”


The answer depends upon what kind of new technologies will be the game changers for fight air-craft in the next generation? If those new and as yet not even thought up technologies require the pilot to take more Gs the answer is yes, it will be the last. A nine g air-craft, however you define it, is the maximum a human body can take. We can at this point build aircraft that can exceed what the human body can withstand. But for obvious reasons we don’t. If you can achieve air dominance without taking more Gs the answers to the question is no. Having a pilot in the loop will always be preferable to having to rely on an external communications link or any kind of on board AI that is likely to be ever developed, ever. But performance trumps all in the end. We will just have to wait and see.
 

Ozzy Blizzard

New Member
I think that the question should be changed from “Is the F-22 the last fighter jet with a human pilot?” to “Is the fifth generation of fighter air-craft the last generation to have onboard human pilots?”


The answer depends upon what kind of new technologies will be the game changers for fight air-craft in the next generation? If those new and as yet not even thought up technologies require the pilot to take more Gs the answer is yes, it will be the last. A nine g air-craft, however you define it, is the maximum a human body can take. We can at this point build aircraft that can exceed what the human body can withstand. But for obvious reasons we don’t. If you can achieve air dominance without taking more Gs the answers to the question is no. Having a pilot in the loop will always be preferable to having to rely on an external communications link or any kind of on board AI that is likely to be ever developed, ever. But performance trumps all in the end. We will just have to wait and see.
Again i refer to my post a little earlier in the thread:

Ozzy Blizzard said:
I remember Boeing's proposal for a 6th gen F/A-18EF replacement was a fighter with a cockpit but with the ability to operate unmanned. So even 6th gen platforms may have pilots, in some situations.
This is why Boeing is thinking along the lines of a platform which can accommodate a pilot if needed; there simply isn't enough confidence in autonomous unmanned systems to go out there alone a make life and death decisions in complex situations (there may never be). This solves both problems.
 

colay

New Member
It's noteworthy that several years back LM was talking about an unmanned F-35 variant. A pilot would still fly the plane remotely relying on 360-degree situational awareness provided by data fusion of onboard/offboard-generated data streams.
 

EmperorNortonII

New Member
I think they are on drugs. As others have said, F-35, SU-35 and PAK-FA are all newer...

Next.

So is the 787 Dreamliner. Frankly, I'd bet on the F-22 winning the dogfight between the two. ;)

Past goofy technicalities, I can say this for certain- when the USA moves to unmanned fighters, it will be the Navy, not the Air Force, leading the way. Old fighter pilots run the air force- they're emotionally attached to manned aircraft. The Navy is run by people in boats (Admiral Mullen went from destroyers, to cruisers, to a group of the two, to a CBG, to the 2nd fleet- no flying). They'll abandon manned aircraft first, and the Luddites in the Air Force will follow suit when they realize they've fallen behind their greatest rivals. It'll be the Norden bomb-sight all over again.
 

StevoJH

The Bunker Group
And that would be why the USAF has been standing up UAV squadrons for the last few years right?

If you are going to provide statements like that, you may want to provide more comprehensive reasoning behind your statement or provide references to support your statement.
 

EmperorNortonII

New Member
X-47B UCAS

As I understand it, the Air Force lacks a similar program. (Jet-powered, refuel-capable, stealthy)

Peter W Singer's book Wired for War talks a lot about UCAV development, DARPA, and Air Force Luddism.
 

EmperorNortonII

New Member
RQ-1 Predator Medium Altitude Endurance (MAE) UAV

Developed as an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) program, the Predator has participated in various training exercises, demonstrations, and operational deployments. Three systems were bought as part of the ACTD, totaling twelve air vehicles, three GCSs and three Trojan Spirit IIs. Although the Army initially led the Predator program, the Pentagon chose the Air Force as the lead service.
Read- The Air Force would never have given the concept a second thought if the Army hadn't started to move onto its turf.
 

kaiserkirsch

New Member
It is my opinion that in the incoming years survivability of aircraft will be the issue. Anti-aircraft warfare are right now challenging aircraft defense, deception and e-masking. Aircraft will benefit from the deletion of the crew: smaller size, fewer systems, higher sustained performance, slimmer lines to gain advantage over anti-aircraft systems and enhance survivability.
One final remark: a massive loss of UCAVs would be a sharp pain to the budget, but still tolerable, a massive loss of crews would be a intolerable to western countries.
 
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