Fly-n-hi
hkshooter
It's about time we remove the weak link from the fighter.
I think this is completely wrong. The pilot is the strongest link.
The pilot is there, in the action, ready to asses the situation. He wants to survive and, more than likely, wants a clean conscience when he lands. Some person in a building in New Mexico or wherever (or worse some bureaucrat in Washington) may not have the same moral inclinations a real pilot would have. Its one thing to see the combat with your own eyes as opposed to watching it on a TV Grand Theft Auto style.
Having a pilot also puts someone in harms way, which means that Washington DC will need to be more selective about who they decide to drop bombs on. Drones...who cares if they get shot down. We can use those to bomb anyone. Who cares?
When things become automated accountability begins to diminish.
From a performance point of view fighter aircraft have been suffering the limits of their onboard human pilots for decades. Removing them would allow the a/c to perform at a level not possible with a human aboard. That was my point.
I will agree with you to a point and respect your views about the rest. At the same time I have to disagree with a bit. When one is in the military he is to follow orders, bottom line. How one feels about the mission, target, whatever, is irrelevant. He/she is there to perform a mission and accomplish an objective according to the orders set forth by his commanders. It's not for him to decide what's morally right or wrong, whether the target is fit for destruction or not. That's how the military functions and does it's job. If one doesn't want to follow those orders and makes judgement calls on his own accord he may have a guilt free conscience when he lands, but he will also most likely have ended his military career and be facing disciplinary action.
And because he can die and wants to live? Weak link in the system. If the pilot hesitates because his action may lead to his demise then that pilot is effectively diminishing the capability of his a/c, his command, and his mission. Unless he's performing an act of valor that will advance his mission and/or saving the lives of fellow soldiers he's made himself known as a coward. Thanks for making my point with your own comments.
The point you made about putting someone in harms way is all the better reason to remove pilots from the cockpit. Mommy or daddy can go home after the mission regardless of whether the a/c was destroyed or not. Gov't's have little to no problem sending soldiers into harms way, that's been proven time an again. Thanks for making my point for me once again.
On a personal note, if you want to discuss morals in this country you are welcome to PM me. I guarantee the resulting conversation would not be suitable for the boards.