Israel Expert: Half of Aerial Strike Forces Worldwide Will Be Unmanned by 2040

The Algemeiner reports: Within a quarter of a century, unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) will comprise half the global fleet of attack planes, an Israeli aerospace official said this week, Israel Defense reported.

Speaking at the 2016 Unmanned Vehicles Israel Defense (UVID) international conference held near Ben-Gurion Airport outside of Tel Aviv, Col. (res.) Ofer Haruvi — the chief technology officer at Israel Aerospace Industries’ Aircrafts Group — said, “There is already talk of sixth-generation planes that are unmanned.

Estimates are that by 2040, half of aerial strike forces will be unmanned.”

Haruvi went on to say, “Alongside UCAVs, VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) planes are also becoming vital. There is a need for planes that can take off without a runway or land or sea-based platform.”