Human transport limits full automation

The expectation is that troop transport will retain human pilots for at least the next fifty years, apart from possible uses by very small groups of elite special forces. Entrusting troops to a remotely operated aircraft or vessel in combat carries a different risk from automating an escort or sensor. A navy would need exceptional confidence before making human lives wholly dependent on an uncrewed transport. Narrow cases may justify the likely cost of a disposable asset, but a crewed platform with automated assistance offers another option. Reliability, likely losses, and cost therefore matter alongside the technical possibility of remote operation.