Manned Fighter and Unmanned Systems: Future is Collaborative
The application of unmanned systems during recent conflicts has stimulated an alternative thought in military capability. While these systems have accrued reasonable tactical and operational successes, their ability to do so independently is a matter of debate. The operational imperatives indicate a necessity to invest in these capabilities, but in collaboration with the manned fighters. Unmanned systems exhibit some fundamental flaws when evaluated through the prism of ‘Nature’, and ‘Morals and Ethics’ of War. Since war fundamentally is a means of human conflict resolution, a human element would have to remain as the chief protagonist at all the levels of war. Similarly, in the Indian context that is characterised as No War No Peace (NWNP), complete military solutions to various security scenarios are possible only through the complementary application of manned and unmanned aircraft. At the operational level, when assessed through the seminal concepts of OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide and Act) loop as well as combat effectiveness, risk, and cost, the capabilities of unmanned systems can be maximised through their application in conjunction with manned fighters. Globally, to harness this potential, there is an impetus on 6th generation fighter aircraft, which are inherently MUM-T capable. These programmes foster human–machine teaming in which humans would be responsible for the higher cognitive functions [combat strategy design, command and control (C2), etc.], while less demanding cognitive functions (tactical manoeuvres, observation, etc.) would be left to UAVs/ UCAVs. At the current pace, in this field, India will remain at least one generation behind all major powers, including China. Therefore, to curtail this trend, and to boost indigenous ecosystem and make it export-worthy, in short-term (till 2030), for stabilisation of LCA and realisation of AMCA and CATS, primary focus should be on manned fighters with a proportional focus on unmanned systems as per their identified complementary roles (ISR, limited strike, high-risk, etc.). In the long-term (beyond 2030), the focus should shift to a collaborative approach to achieve the ‘Collaborative Peak’ of manned–unmanned teaming by 2047 (Amrit Kaal).
- Pankaj Dhiman |
- July-September 2025 |
