Future unmanned aircraft will have to be designed to fly over hostile areas where an enemy would actively challenge their presence, a panel of three U.S. Air Force officers said/.../ The Air Force cannot take the air bases it operates UAVs out of for granted. Such bases might come under attack from enemy forces, which would necessitate developing unmanned jets with greater range and persistence to enable such aircraft to operate from outside the range of those potential threats, said Mark Gunzinger, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington. However, communications could be the deciding factor for future unmanned aircraft."Stealth technology is such today that we can make platforms that are much, much more survivable," he said.
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