Ok this are just concepts and sugestions but I have read about a posibility to upgrade current fleet of F-16 and F-15 to UCAV role when JSF enters
service and no buyers for those aircrafts are found. It could be simple because all they need to do is just to take down the cockpit and avionics and
add computer flight control and comunication device. The aircrafts would be capable fly the same misions like before. The speed and manuevrability
could be teoreticaly improved because of no cockpit present and no need to limit Gs when the human is not on board. The same with JSF - but it would
be a stealthy UCAV. These unmaned fighters could fly air-to-ground misions but would be also capable for air-to-air misions (in oposition to X-45
which is designed for air-ground). So for example 2 F-35D(or RoboFalcons or Remote Eagles) could fly together with 1 f-22 like unmaned wingmans. There
is also posiblity to upgrade F-16 to dual-role - so they could fly both manned and unmaned. The aircrafts should be stored in special containers for
long time periods (5 years) and deployed only when needed - so very low maintance costs.
[Edited on 28-5-2004 by longbow]