"There are those that see JSF as the last manned fighter. I'm one that's inclined to believe that."
-- Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff
But all of a sudden, Adm. Mullen is starting to look lonely, sitting there in his remote-control cockpit. You see, the admiral may believe there's no need for pilots in planes anymore, but some of the biggest names in unmanned-aerial-vehicle building are begging to differ.
Names like General Atomics (GA). The once-upon-a-time unit of General Dynamics
Late last month, GA announced it's partnering with Goldman Sachs
And now for something completely different
Less unexpected is Boeing's
The twist? Boeing's taking Adm. Mullen's words literally, and interpreting them liberally, to build a full-sized fighter aircraft that isn't necessarily "manned" at all (but can be). The concept, dubbed "optionally piloted," mimics United Technologies'
Which sounds to me like a good hedging of bets. The fact that Boeing's technically hewing to the admiral's marching orders can't hurt its chances, either.
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