Long-range strike: manned vs. unmanned

[FighterJock]

Sad that the unmanned counterpart to the B-21 has been axed. I can agree with you Josh_TN that the B-21 will likely be unmanned during the later stages of it's service life, so why bother with a second competing design that won't offer anything different.

 

[Scott Kenny]

Sad that the unmanned counterpart to the B-21 has been axed. I can agree with you Josh_TN that the B-21 will likely be unmanned during the later stages of it's service life, so why bother with a second competing design that won't offer anything different.

Maybe for conventional bombing work. I do NOT see any nuclear flying without crew. Ever.

 

[FighterJock]

Especially with AI powered bombers Scott Kenny, the nuclear mission will likely be the optionally manned part of the whole idea behined the B-21. I cannot see unmanned B-21s doing the nuclear mission ever as well.

 

[aim9xray]

Maybe for conventional bombing work. I do NOT see any nuclear flying without crew. Ever.

Unless they are vertically launched from a hole in the ground or ocean?

 

[Scott Kenny]

Unless they are vertically launched from a hole in the ground or ocean?

Once launched, those aren't recallable.

Bombers are supposed to be recallable, and I don't see any good way to make autonomous bombers reliably recallable.

 

[vmaddux]

Once launched, those aren't recallable.

Bombers are supposed to be recallable, and I don't see any good way to make autonomous bombers reliably recallable.

Hmmm, I see a remake of "Fail Safe" in the future.

 

[quellish]

Once launched, those aren't recallable.

Bombers are supposed to be recallable, and I don't see any good way to make autonomous bombers reliably recallable.

Same way you would with a manned bomber.

 

[Scott Kenny]

Same way you would with a manned bomber.

Which has 3x redundant brains to accept a recall order. Pilot, copilot, and flight computers.

Autonomous plane does not have the redundancy. (See also: Fail Safe, the book/movie)

 

[Josh_TN]

There is not any real advantage to operating B-21s unmanned. It is not like they will be numerous or expendable under any circumstances. CCAs are likely in the 10-20 million dollar range; B-21 is more like $700,000,000.

 

[quellish]

Which has 3x redundant brains to accept a recall order. Pilot, copilot, and flight computers.

Autonomous plane does not have the redundancy. (See also: Fail Safe, the book/movie)

Which can easily be replicated in software. Receive order, 3 computers concur, execute.

Get a message, authenticate, proceed.

See “By Dawns Early Light”

 

[TomcatViP]

Given how poorly secured software are on the long run (there is no software that hasn't been hacked one day or another), it would be cheaper to keep the man in the loop for something as potentially lethal than a strategic bombers.

And given that manpower cost are inherently nose-diving with the drastic reduction in crew number, the priorities should be somewhere else.

 

[red admiral]

But even with a human in the loop there are still multiple bits of software in the loop as well in order to relay information remotely. Maybe we should revert to flags.

 

[Hydroman]

Simple, just use Google Authenticator or Alexa, recall the bombers.

 

[FighterJock]

That is a good idea Hydroman, using Athenticator along with Alexa to recall the bombers that are unmanned and that would make sure that none go rogue. Even the ones that are carrying nuclear weapons in the bay.

 

[Hydroman]

Just making sure we take advantage of all the AI tech FighterJock, AI should make seem like they are manned. Got a AI generated Big Mac but I don't think the software was correct, tasted like a tire from a '63 Chevy, everyone can dwell on that one...