Why drones do not remove the pilot tradeoff

Are drone-carried loitering munitions preferable because they do not risk a pilot?

They reduce personnel risk but introduce communications dependence and remove a locally present human from command and engagement decisions.

Remote aircraft can reduce the risk of losing a pilot, but they remain dependent on satellites and other communications links. Those dependencies can fail or be disrupted even in an operation expected to face only a limited threat. A pilot supplies local awareness and immediate judgment at the tactical scene. Removing that person therefore creates command-and-control and rules-of-engagement risks rather than eliminating operational risk.