Unmanned Combat Air Systems: A New Kind of Carrier Aviation

According to naval weapons expert Norman Friedman, the U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System aircraft currently in development will transform naval aviation, extending its reach while dramatically reducing its cost. In his latest weapons book, Friedman describes the new X-47B and shows how these new aircraft offer tactics that manned aircraft cannot duplicate. He calls the X-47B a natural extension of the evolving networked form of drone warfare that can be used for a variety of missions, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and time-sensitive targeting. Friedman makes the important point that an unmanned attack aircraft can also be seen as an extension of some current missiles that interact with remote human controllers. The book includes an extensive appendix describing the world’s military unmanned aircraft.