Summit Notebook
Exclusive outtakes from industry leaders
Rockwell Collins CEO: ex-fighter pilot sees need for pilotless aircraft
On the surface, it would appear that a fighter pilot would have little interest in a remotely piloted aircraft, which more and more are being used in wars for reconnaissance and firing missiles.
It isn’t too big a leap to wonder whether in the future perhaps drones will take away jobs from fighter pilots.
But Rockwell Collins Chief Executive Officer Clay Jones, a former fighter pilot, says there is room for both.
“Technology marches on. Obviously I have a great affinity for keeping a human in the loop. And I think a human will always be in the loop in some aircraft because there are certain missions that require a human to make judgments, and to do what only a human being can do, in the say heat of battle,” he said in an interview at the Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit.
A drone by any other name…
The drone that was formerly known as the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has a new name — the Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA).
Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said Air Force leadership discussed it and made a commitment to use the new term, although it does take some getting used to. “The more we use it, the more comfortable we get with it,” he said in an interview at a Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit. 
