Cheaper, yes. But they can’t handle dynamic and unexpected situations on their own. They’d need a remote operator for that, which means time delay, when millisecond decisions count.
For example, say you send a drone to strike what intelligence tells you is a single outpost. Easy. What if it gets there, and there are three outposts? Or no outpost? Or there’s a significantly more valuable target right nearby that day? Or intelligence tells you they have to anti-air capability, but when your drone enters the area, you start taking anti-air fire? Or worse, an enemy fighter jet patrol?
Cheaper, yes. But they can’t handle dynamic and unexpected situations on their own. They’d need a remote operator for that, which means time delay, when millisecond decisions count.
For example, say you send a drone to strike what intelligence tells you is a single outpost. Easy. What if it gets there, and there are three outposts? Or no outpost? Or there’s a significantly more valuable target right nearby that day? Or intelligence tells you they have to anti-air capability, but when your drone enters the area, you start taking anti-air fire? Or worse, an enemy fighter jet patrol?
For the cost of a single plane and a pilot you could send one thousand drones, though. Surely that would make up for the limitations?