The Navy and Air Force have been experimenting with uncrewed fighter jets
The Valkyrie, the cutest flying companion ever. (US Air Force/)Back in October 2019, the Navy carried out an experiment with three fighter jets—it involved one aircraft remotely controlling two others. While the two remotely controlled craft actually had human pilots in them—for the takeoff and landings—those fighters represented uncrewed airplanes during the exercise. Presumably, the actual flesh-and-blood aviators in those two jets became glorified passengers while the main aircraft controlled them. And eventually, fighter-jet-style craft designed to be remote-controlled might not need a human on board at all, or even have a traditional cockpit.Details are scant about the experiment, but the Navy completed four flights and multiple “demonstration missions” with the setup, according to Boeing, which makes the planes. The exercises, the Navy said in a statement, saw the two aircraft fly in “multiple preset formations” and send “air-to-air sensor data back to the manned fighter.” It’s a compelling instance...