UCAV Predominance "Likely, But Not Certain" says BAE MD

Asian Aerospace 2000 -- While confessing "an instinctive belief" that (manned) air platforms will be around for some time to come", BAE Systems group managing director Sir Charles Masefield, speaking in Singapore earlier this week, said it was likely, but not certain, that they would eventually be replaced by uninhabited combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs).

"But significant technology hurdles must be overcome before these could be operationally deployed" he added. "We may need to go through an interim phase where manned aircraft control UAVs. However, autonomous operation and targeting must surely be the ultimate goal - if only because these capabilities would offer huge savings on training and life-cycle costs, compared to manned systems."

By John Fricker