The aircraft flew up to speeds of 1,200mph. DARPA did not reveal which aircraft won the dogfight.

    • grue@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      7 months ago

      What’s the difference? A remotely or AI-piloted fighter jet is just a big drone.

      • Aatube@kbin.melroy.orgOP
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        7 months ago

        Drones are designed without cockpits. Retrofitting remote-control into an F-16 does not seem like the best choice to me.

        • azuth@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          7 months ago

          Retrofitting F-16s to become drones (whether rc or ai-controlled) as well as designing a variant ditching human support for weight and monetary gains is the rational choice as long as non stealth aircraft are viable. In that case you’d stick to F-35s.

          It makes no sense to waste billions worth of perfectly capable and proven airframes, engines and avionics. Any future drone that will have at least the same level of capabilities as an f-16 will cost practically cost the same. At the cost of high performance aircraft life support does not add that much cost to a plane, pilot costs (and availability) are a much bigger issue.