Lt. Gen. David Deptula, Air Force deputy chief of staff for ISR and a strong advocate for UAVs, recently stated that “we haven’t even seen the horizon yet” on the last manned tactical aircraft.

While many have forecasted the “unemployment of the fighter pilot” as UAVs have become more ubiquitous, Deptula’s reason for saying fighter pilots have some job security is fairly simple: 

There is no sensor package capable of “360-degree situational awareness that can process information” and decide on how to act upon it better than the human brain.

The article notes that Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said he is “inclined to believe” that the F-35 will be the last manned fighter.