Chapter 29. Few Expensive Assets vs. Many Low-Cost Assets: The Strategic Value of Attritable Unmanned Aircraft

High-priced few vs. low-priced many: The strategic value of expendable drones The moment you enter enemy airspace at an altitude of 30,000 feet, the cockpit is filled with tension. The radar warning receiver emits a sharp beep sound, signaling that an enemy surface-to-air missile has left the runway. My hands are sweating as I hold the F-16's control stick. At that moment, only one thought lingered in the pilot's mind. 'I have to return alive.' Losing both an aircraft worth tens of millions of dollars and a pilot with years of training at the same time would be a military disaster.

When we roamed the skies of Iraq and the Balkans, we were always outnumbered. The enemy's air defenses were dense, and each friendly fighter was as precious as gold. So for us, just coming back from the mission was a victory in itself. But the battlefield of the 21st century is different from then. The enemy no longer struggles to shoot down one of our expensive fighter jets. They fire hundreds of cheap missiles and wait for us to go bankrupt economically. This is the cruel math called ‘cost exchange ratio’. The price of one F-35 Lightning II is well over $100 million.

What if the enemy shoots down this aircraft with a missile worth 2 billion won? Tactically we may have fought well, but strategically the enemy is smiling. It's like capturing the queen in chess with just one pawn. A card was needed to turn this unfavorable mathematical formula on its head. That card is the ‘expendable drone’. In English, it is called 'Attritable UAV', and it is necessary to think carefully about the meaning of this word. ‘Consumable’ does not mean that it is used and thrown away like toilet paper. The goal is to complete the mission and return, but even if it is shot down, the strategic impact is limited.

Like sacrificing a pawn in chess, it means something that is willing to be sacrificed to protect the king or queen. In April 2024, the U.S. Air Force selected Anduril and General Atomics to participate in the next phase of the Cooperative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. The YFQ-44A Fury and YFQ-42A they are developing are produced at less than one-tenth the cost of the F-35. As of May 2025, these drones have completed ground testing and are scheduled for their first flight. The U.S. Air Force aims for operational deployment by 2029 and plans to invest $8.9 billion over the next five years. Imagine this.

The F-35 I am on is heading towards enemy territory. But I'm not alone. There are four drones flying in formation in front of me. The moment the enemy's radar turns on, I give a command to UAV No. 1. “Go and jam that radar.” Instructions are given to Unmanned Aerial Vehicle No. 2: “Become a decoy and lure the enemy’s missiles.”

Enemy air defense operators are confused. Five targets suddenly appear on the screen, but you can't tell which is the real threat. While they chase fake targets, expending expensive interceptor missiles, I command the remaining drones to strike from the safety of the rear. Drones rush towards the enemy's radar station, and I neutralize the enemy's air defenses without lifting a finger. This tactic isn't entirely new. Similar examples can be found in history. On medieval battlefields, knights sat on horses wearing expensive armor. They were nobles, and losing one was like losing a fief.

However, there were many cheap spearmen standing in the front row of the battlefield. While they parried the enemy's arrows, the knight charged at the decisive moment. 6th generation air combat brings this principle back to the digital age. Australia's MQ-28 Ghost Bat is an example of this concept in action. It is 11.7 meters long, carries 500 kilograms of weapons, and flies in formation with the F/A-18 or F-35. As of 2025, more than 100 test flights have been completed, and air-to-air missile launch tests will soon begin. These unmanned aerial vehicles can autonomously conduct reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and even direct combat.

Türkiye's Bayraktar Kzlelma is also noteworthy. It has a speed of Mach 0.9 and is equipped with an internal weapons bay and external hardpoints. It will begin mass production in 2024, and is capable of fully autonomous takeoff and landing under satellite control. At one time, the only drone powers were the United States and Israel, but now many countries around the world are entering the race. China's movements cannot be ignored either. The GJ-11 attack stealth drone acts as a wingman for the J-20 fighter jet and directly challenges the U.S. military's CCA concept.

China is producing low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles based on its huge manufacturing infrastructure. The FH-97A carries eight air-to-air missiles and can take off without a runway thanks to a rocket booster. This breaks down the geographic constraints of the battlefield. The Republic of Korea Air Force is also joining this trend. The KF-21 Boramae two-seat version is being designed so that the rear-seat pilot can serve as a command aircraft to control a squadron of unmanned aerial vehicles. Aiming for the early 2030s, a system is being built where FA-50 light attack aircraft will control multiple expendable unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Stingray-X series of stealth drones being developed by Korean Air will become Korea's 'loyal wingman'. Why is this important? We must deal with North Korea's dense air defenses and massive conventional forces. Responding with only the expensive F-35 is not only inefficient but also dangerous. Early in the war, the enemy's room

The mission to suppress the air net is a gamble that risks the pilot's life. But what if an expendable drone goes in first? Our pilots can operate in a much safer environment. 경제학은 명확합니다. Producing 250 to 500 XQ-58A Valkyries per year would bring the price per unit below $2 million. The choice is between buying two F-35s or 100 Valkyries with the same budget. Two F-35s can only hit two points at the same time. 100 Valkyries can attack 50 locations simultaneously, or 10 units can be concentrated on 10 locations. The true power of swarm tactics lies here.

When dozens of targets appear on an enemy's radar screen, their air defenses are paralyzed. Precious time passes while you decide which one to shoot first. In the chaos, the real predator, the manned fighter, delivers the decisive blow. U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General Kenneth Wilsbach said: CCA will confuse the enemy and contribute to securing public power. And the 2025 Air Force report makes it clear: CCA is not a replacement for manned fighters, but a complement to them. Paired with 5th generation fighters, it will be the key to dominating the high-intensity battlefield of the future.

To be honest, as a pilot, it gives me a strange feeling knowing that my wingman is a machine and not a human. However, we must face the harsh reality of the battlefield. Enemy missiles are becoming more sophisticated, and our pilots and expensive fighter jets are limited. The drone does not sleep, is not afraid, and does not worry about its family. Expensive manned fighters become 'quarterbacks' and command the battlefield, while low-cost expendable drones become 'linebackers' and 'receivers' and throw themselves into the game. This is the way to overcome numerical inferiority, destroy the enemy's economy, and ultimately dominate the skies.

The old adage “quantity is its own kind of quality” is gaining new meaning in air combat in the AI ​​era. 탑건의 시대가 끝난 것은 아닙니다. However, Top Gun no longer flies alone. He will become the commander of the Iron Legion and rule the skies.