Popular Mechanics: A Short History of the Navy's Long Dislike of Drones
Why do the U.S. Navy's higher ups keep shooting down UAV programs?
They Navy does not like drones. That's why they keep terminating them.
Nobody wants to be told that a computer can do their job better than they can, and pilots are not the least egotistical of individuals. Given how many commanders are ex-pilots, it is no surprise that the Navy's new combat drone has been re-assigned to less glamorous duties. This is just the latest case of a drone that presumes to rival human fliers getting the thumbs-down.
UCLASS, the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike system, was supposed to be a stealthy, unmanned warbird which could take on targets too dangerous for manned aircraft. However, during the long years of development–UCLASS was originally supposed to be in service by 2017, it will now be 2023 or so—the strike element was gradually downplayed in favor of "Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Targeting." Some suggested that the Navy did not want a plane that would compete with the F-35. Now UCLASS has been pushed further down the food chain and will serve as a flying gas station, providing aerial refueling for the manned aircraft doing the real work.
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WNU Editor: I am surprised that the US Navy developed these drones decades ago, but choose to ignore its possibilities.
