Strategy-driven resource decisions... psyche! just kidding, the Pentagon doesn't do that

[Hair Warrior]

News article from 2013: https://warisboring.com/f-22-raptors-taunted-iranian-fighter-jets-ab0dbf5707f

"After this attempted interception, the Pentagon decided to escort drones involved in reconnaissance missions with fighter jets: either F-18 Hornets embarked on the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, currently in the U.S. Fifth Fleet area of responsibility, or F-22 Raptors like those deployed to Al Dhafra in the United Arab Emirates."​

...kind of defeats the purpose of having a UAV in the first place, no? I suppose you'd scale the escort package from 0-2 aircraft depending on how contested the airspace is.

But still, it's kind of silly: an aviator being asked to escort a drone (esp. since you'd basically have to fly circles around it due to airspeed differences).

 

[nittany03]

...kind of defeats the purpose of having a UAV in the first place, no? I suppose you'd scale the escort package from 0-2 aircraft depending on how contested the airspace is.

But still, it's kind of silly: an aviator being asked to escort a drone (esp. since you'd basically have to fly circles around it due to airspeed differences).

No. One offers valuable, constant ISR for longer periods than it's feasible to park a human up in the air. ISR that is so valuable that sometimes it's worth protecting as it does its job. Or at least the political embarrassment of having one schwacked is worth tasking a section of fighters to prevent. That said, the UAV has the additional advantage of being able to not have an aircrew to get burned alive if it does get schwacked.

UAVs complement manned platforms. They don't replace them. Different mission sets, different goods, and different others. There is nothing silly about using both to our greatest advantage.

 

[azguy]

Probably not a good idea to get into too much detail of how we protect our high value aircraft. But simply put, I think you're taking that quote too literally.

 

[AllYourBass]

I'm still in the naive stage of my career where I feel like the people who make these decisions have tactical reasons based on contexts I probably don't understand given the limited amount of information I can squeeze out of the media berry.

 

[Brett327]

^^ The force is strong in this one.

 

[Swanee]

But still, it's kind of silly: an aviator being asked to escort a drone (esp. since you'd basically have to fly circles around it due to airspeed differences).

So we shouldn't have a fighter CAP to protect our recce and attack airplanes going into indian country because they aren't manned?