Era of the fighter pilot may be drawing to a close as unmanned aircraft take on increasing combat role

The Mil & Aero Video Blog, 17 May 2011. The American fighter pilot is an enduring icon of American military heroism, but the era of the fighter pilot may be drawing to a close with development of new models of unmanned combat aircraft, increasing costs of fighter pilot training, and the spiraling costs of procuring the latest generations of manned jet fighter aircraft. John Keller reports in the Mil & Aero Video Blog.

Please see also:

-- Northrop Grumman reveals first Navy unmanned combat aircraft;

-- Hunter-Killer UAVs to swarm battlefields;

-- Navy UCLASS program to develop carried-based unmanned aircraft with surveillance and strike capability by 2018;

-- Phantom Ray UAS makes first flight;

-- Unmanned Aircraft Armed and dangerous;

-- F-22 CNI avionics MRO demonstrations completed by Rockwell Collins;

-- F-35B jet fighter undergoes preparation for sea duty; and

-- Companies to harvest heat from jet engines to generate power for in-engine predictive maintenance system.