Quote Originally Posted by SteveMetz View Post
Why does a manned craft have more psychological impact than an unmanned one? Does the guy on the ground know which is which?

Plus, doesn't the idea of visible contrails run counter to the idea of avoiding air defenses?

Seems to me that there is even greater psychological impact when the guy on the ground doesn't see anything and all the sudden stuff blows up.
I was thinking of a show of force short of war. Contrails left by an airplane that can smash you can be pretty effective at that. We don't have any drones that can do that.

Again in a situation short of war, something you can see may be scarier than something you can't. For example, it is hard to do gunboat diplomacy with submarines, aircraft carriers are better.

And in a small war, a low fast run by a fighter in afterburner is, I've read, a good tactic to scare away bad guys. We don't have a drone that can do that either.

This is, of course, a conservative's argument; I am reluctant to give up what I know works for what might work.