Are fighter jets a necessity when we have drones? Other commenters bemoan the lack of technological progress in fighter jets, but a drone is capable of maneuvers that humans cannot survive, and the use of drones also limits the loss of pilot lives.
Investing money in drones over fighter jets seems like the cost effective move here. Flying the jet yourself is definitely cooler than doing it by remote control, but I don’t think it will make much sense in warfare in 20 years time. We have to skate to where the puck is going.
Drones aren't as cheap as you might think when you actually tally the total system cost, including ground systems; and the UAVs still have significant issues operating in various mixed airspaces. Take a look at the costing for General Atomics Predator and Northrop Grumman Global Hawk systems, as well as the issues the Germans have had with the latter.
Investing money in drones over fighter jets seems like the cost effective move here. Flying the jet yourself is definitely cooler than doing it by remote control, but I don’t think it will make much sense in warfare in 20 years time. We have to skate to where the puck is going.