The U.S. Miilitary's Fighter Aircraft Crisis: What Comes After the F-35? ( Source- The National Interest / Author- James Hasik)
The X-47 B UCAV on trials ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Credits- United States Navy by MC2 Timothy Walter) Source- The National interest Author- James Hasik Earlier this year, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert said that he believed that the F/A-XX, the Navy’s planned eventual follow-on to the F-35C, would be "optionally manned". On April 15 at the Sea-Air-Space conference, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus leaned further forward, noting how he believed that "the F-35 should be, and almost certainly will be, the last manned strike fighter aircraft the Department of the Navy will ever buy or fly.” At the same time, Mabus announced that he would be establishing a new post of deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for unmanned systems—a secretary of drones, so to speak. That evening, Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman John McCain said that “I hope the sentiments expressed by Secretary Mabus… will be reflected in the Navy's future program