Unmanned Fighter Planes Are On the Drawing Board

by Jack

The Russians are claiming after their ultra modern 5th generation T-50 fighter is in full production, they will have exceeded the limits of what human pilots can endure. They will have no choice but to move on to robot fighters that will be the 6th gen of fighter and their first line of defense.

“Givi Janjgava, the chief designer of the JSC Ramenskoye design bureau where the onboard electronics for the Su-30, Su-35 and T-50 fighters were developed, agrees that the future of fighter aviation lies in unmanned aerial systems. Moreover, much of what needs to be developed already exists and is operational in Russian fighters.” Reports, Russia Beyond the Headlines.

The Russians most advanced, top secret T-50, appeared recently at the MAKS airshow. It was clear this was a stealth aircraft and that it was fast and highly maneuverable. Three T-50’s did aerobatics stunts like the [Bell] and [Pugachev’s Cobra]. According the Russians those manuevers can’t be matched by any other aircraft in the world, including the USA’s F-22 Raptor, despite it sharing a vectored thrust system similar to the T-50’s.

The T-50 is designed to fly itself while the pilot works on locating enemy aircraft and firing long range air to air missiles, before the enemy even knows they are in the area. The plane can change altitude or follow the terrain just feet off the ground when in auto pilot. The T-50 has a number of failsafe systems to prevent pilot error. For example the T-50 will not allow it’s weapons to be fired if doing so will harm the aircraft, such as launching a missile while flying too close to the ground. If the pilot should become incapacitated the plane will know it and will eject the pilot safely.

The Russian designers of the T-50 are looking forward to building a fully robotic aircraft, citing the time it takes to train a pilot (typically 1 year) and the pilots physical limitations hold back the plane’s ability and readiness. The designers of the next generation Russian robot fighter say their fighter will have no issues over fatigue or weather and will be ready day or night.

Because weapon technology has advanced so quickly, planes that fly supersonic or hypersonic may be unnecessary in the future. Subsonic drone aircraft could conceivably launch cruise missiles into another hemisphere without ever leaving Russian airspace.

“The fate of a 6th generation, then, depends very much on the advent of a corresponding new global enemy. This could be a new Chinese fighter superior to the F-22 or the T-50, or some kind of extraterrestrial invaders in flying saucers. Both the former and the latter are unlikely. Therefore, Moscow and Washington will still have a long time to consider whether it is expedient to spend huge sums of money on developing an aircraft, which clearly does not have a combat mission to perform and which—and this is the most important thing—is worthy of an enemy.” Russia – Beyond the Headlines