In April, an F-15E was shot down behind enemy lines, the first such loss in a generation. U.S. forces executed a two-phase, 48-hour combat search and rescue operation to recover the Weapons Systems Officer. The missions involved more than 155 aircraft and special operations forces. And therein lies the problem. A pilot must be recovered. The downing of a pilot forces a cascading effect, whereby additional aircraft and pilots and ground troops are jeopardized to recover the first downed pilot, compounding risks across the force structure and the operation. All for the sake of a human operator that is quickly becoming obsolete. As Epic Fury suggests, the pilot is now a strategic liability, whereby risk and investment are concentrated within a fragile flesh-and-blood asset....

Continue reading →︎