Any military experts here?

[swissie]

Why produce and buy Jet Fighter Planes in this age? Costing around 100 million a piece. That would buy a lot of drones/missiles instead.

 

Look at the Ukraine: It turns more and more into a drone/missile war. Classical "Air Warfare" not taking place much. 

 

Perhaps, it has become a monetary issue. = To lose 5 jets would mean that 500 million have just "evaporated".

 

[novacova]

Fighters go farther and carry bigger bombs, to start with.

[swissie]

1 minute ago, novacova said:

Fighters go farther and carry bigger bombs, to start with.

I am not talking Bombers. Besides, there are short range missiles/mid range missiles up to intercontinental missiles.

[Schoggibueb]

The gliding bombs, as example can't been carried (yet) by drones. They still use figher jets, as after the drop-off a sharp curve must been made to stay away from air raid defence systems.

 

Next step (maybe!) might be Fighters which are secured by drones flying next to them. The russiand at least are trying to develop such systems. I guess the chinese and the US too. It's yet too early to stop producing fighter jets, but I am sure there will be significant changes in modern warfare.

P.S. No military expert, no facts, only my personal oppinion.

[Asean Tiger]

1 hour ago, swissie said:

Why produce and buy Jet Fighter Planes in this age? Costing around 100 million a piece. That would buy a lot of drones/missiles instead.

 

Look at the Ukraine: It turns more and more into a drone/missile war. Classical "Air Warfare" not taking place much. 

 

Perhaps, it has become a monetary issue. = To lose 5 jets would mean that 500 million have just "evaporated".

 

The product cycle takes a years to reconcile to new realities. Meanwhile, lightweight drones cannot provide air superiority over nations that still field fighter jets. The next generation will be pilotless, anyway. And keep the huge contracts for military aerospace companies , which is all

about $

[Hummin]

1 hour ago, novacova said:

Fighters go farther and carry bigger bombs, to start with.

And can protect fleets and other airforce as civilian planes, 

 

Still need for planes with pilots who have eyes 

[novacova]

1 hour ago, swissie said:

I am not talking Bombers. Besides, there are short range missiles/mid range missiles up to intercontinental missiles.

Never mentioned anything about bombers…

1 hour ago, novacova said:

Fighters go farther and carry bigger bombs, to start with.

Have another read.

 

Drones cannot deliver the magnitude of air power that of a fighter, spitballs in comparison.

[swissie]

1 hour ago, novacova said:

Never mentioned anything about bombers…

Have another read.

 

Drones cannot deliver the magnitude of air power that of a fighter, spitballs in comparison.

Send 100 drones with the same destination instead of a 100 million $ Airplane. With the Risk that the 100 million $ Airplane will be "detected" and "neutralised".

By destroying 90 drones but 10 reaching the target can only be classified as a major military low cost success. Welcome to the new age of military conflicts.

 

 

[Cameroni]

So when Russia comes at us with jet fighters we should scare them off with 500 Dollar drones?

 

Drones work in attack, not so much in defence.

[novacova]

6 minutes ago, swissie said:

Send 100 drones with the same destination instead of a 100 million $ Airplane. With the Risk that the 100 million $ Airplane will be "detected" and "neutralised".

By destroying 90 drones but 10 reaching the target can only be classified as a major military low cost success. Welcome to the new age of military conflicts.

 

 

A modern US built fighter any day over a squadron of a hundred drones. The Ukraine war is a war of attrition, therefore drones are appropriately being used. Drones are great for terrorizing and it’s effective at it.

[black tabby12345]

Drone might be handy and cost effective for the regional conflict.

But not for the warfare in vast area. Hi

[connda]

Planes are how Israel grinds the surrounding Arab infrastructure to dust in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria.  Reusable planes work great for dropping 2000 lb bombs on people who possess absolutely no air defenses.  You can completely flatten an entire region (think Gaza) like it was hit with a nuclear weapon just using planes, JDAMs, and 2K lbs "bunker-busters."  Drones can't achieve that level of destruction.  Missiles require more tech than gravity bombs and are more costly. However, if your target is a country with advanced air defenses, then missiles and drones are probably the weapons of choice. Drones can overwhelm air defenses and act as a screen for higher tech missiles.  Missile tech is now advance beyond what air defenses can bring down effectively.  But air defenses can definitely bring down planes.  So, it depends on what your tactile and strategic goals are as well as who you're attempting to destroy and their capabilities to counter what you're throwing at them.  Military hardware is in constant flux. Pick up a book by Andrei Martyanov and you'll be wiser.

[StayinThailand2much]

3 hours ago, swissie said:

Why produce and buy Jet Fighter Planes in this age? Costing around 100 million a piece. That would buy a lot of drones/missiles instead.

 

You could ask the same about tanks, etc.

[Furioso]

I was in the military for 24 years I think your question is very valid, as I also have wondered about the usefulness of fighters in the 21st century. I think the U.S. Air Force has already started working on the next generation of fighters that will operate with drones. Probably not side by side, I'm assuming there will be a lot of different "capabilities" these drones will provide the pilots. 

 

We're already using drones to kill people and we can see the video right up to the moment it blows up a tank or aircraft..or explodes in a soldiers face. I'm pretty sure they can operate jet fighters without humans in the cockpit..if they wanted to..but then the whole concept of an Air Force changes drastically and a lot of countries don't want that. It's similar to why the U.S., Russia, China refuse to give up human spaceflight. It's not needed at all but it's a prestige/power thing.  

[Yagoda]

There are 11 plus hardpoints on an F35.