Cheap drones are easiest to achieve when their missions remain narrow, such as reconnaissance with limited strike capability. A drone expected to reproduce much of an F-35's role would require expensive computers, power, space, and supporting systems. Removing the pilot does not remove those demands, and remote operation adds secure communications equipment. The cost could therefore approach that of the crewed aircraft whose capability it seeks to reproduce. Claims of affordable mass depend on what the uncrewed aircraft is actually required to do.
Notable Point · 4:07:13-4:08:56
High-performance drones retain expensive aircraft systems
The economics of cheap single-role drones are distinguished from the expense of reproducing a sophisticated combat aircraft's missions.