Navy sees spying, not flying, future with drones

Concerns about safety, reliability
The Navy also worries about drone reliability and safety.

The Navy developed its first unmanned combat aircraft in the 1950s and 1960s. But the Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter, which operated off destroyers and frigates, was plagued by accidents and pilot error, and half were lost.

The Navy's current program consists of a $646 million contract to Northrop Grumman Corp. to build an unmanned jet, known as the X-47B, able to take off and land from an aircraft carrier. The first test flight is scheduled for late 2009, with a deployment date of 2025.

Since the drone won't carry any weapons, airstrikes will presumably be done by the next-generation F-35, which the Navy is expected to receive in 2015.

But Ehrhard noted a drone carrying the same weapons payload as the F-35 would have two and a half times the range of a manned aircraft without refueling, and could remain over the battlefield 5 to 10 times as long.

He called that increased reach critical as the military reduces the size and number of bases overseas, while needing to monitor remote spots around the globe.

"What the Navy doesn't want is a competitor for the F-35 program," said Ehrhard. "The F-35 program is their strike aircraft, so saying they are going to develop another strike aircraft conflicts with their own program."

Ehrhard said drones with full strike capability operating off aircraft carriers "will always be at least another generation of pilots away."

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