The aviation industry already has begun a shift toward large unmanned aircraft systems, which will accelerate over the next 20 years to include wide body commercial airplanes, according to a study by the Aerospace Industries Association of America (AIA) and consulting firm Avascent.
The study, released last week, characterizes the transition as a continuation of a transformation of the aviation industry that began in the 1980s with the reduction of flight crews from three pilots to two and that has continued with a steady increase in cockpit automation.
“This is not going to be an overnight transformation,” the study said. “There will be distinct stages that reflect varied phases of adoption across aircraft weight classes, economic sectors and business models. Yet this future is moving from the theoretical to the practical faster than most anticipate.”…
