Coolest Thing Ever
The largest unmanned aircraft to rely solely on hydrogen fuel has flown successfully during tests. The plane, with a 22-foot-wingspan, is powered by a fuel-cell system that generates 500-watts–equal to five bright light bulbs. [link]
As I am fond of saying to hotshot pilots (USAF and USN, but never USMC aviators), “your days are coming to an end. Get ready to work out of a/c’d control rooms).
no. i don’t think the human element will ever disappear from aerial combat. technology may be advanced, but in a dog fight.. against raptors and even more superior fighters to come along eventually, i doubt that it can happen any time soon. at least not in this century. perhaps, in the next millenia.
one has to admit, aviation technology has come a long way in a very short period of time. has it been a hundred years since the famous take off ? no. almost, very soon i guess.. guess i’ll go and google it.
I didn’t suggest that the human element will disappear from aerial combat. I merely predicted that the human element will be sitting in an air conditioned remote control room, managing CUAV missions.
But I do wonder how the disappearance of the fear of imminent death (being shot down) will affect air combat.