2nd hand M2000-9s? Su-27s? MiG 29? 2nd hand F18s?

I think a variety of UCAV/ UAV (Air Support/BAMS/SEAD/Strike/Recon)

Maritime Patrol Aircraft ( hopefully P-8A) [Maritime Strike/ASW/SAR]

& Laptops ( cyber warfare ) [control of cyber space]

Light ARH or VTUAV

 

I think the fore mentioned is the only way forward for the RNZAF, until such time when there is a threat that warrants Fast Jets.

Don't get me wrong I'd love to see RNZAF with JSF, but it really isn't viable ATM ( it may be in the future),

UCAV/UAV and P3C/P-8A and a RNZAF Advanced Cyber War Centre could provide most Air Support tasks/missions

and/or neutralise Air defences/infrastructure in the Pacific/South East Asia.

 

Training UCAV/UAV pilots would be easier/quicker than fast jet pilots. ( prehaps a Kiwi UAV training centre, could also train Aussies  )

It would also provide RNZAF with specialist capabilities too contribute to ANZAC strike forces.

All the evidence to date points to non pilots being easier to uptake and adapt.  esp if they are young geeks.  Its a moot point as for large UAV management its not just an operator involved.  its in a control room where there are a variety of other people in there providing supp feeds etc...  There is so much info available and coming in that one person cannot possibly handle all the feeds, as the amercians and israelis have discovered, the issue is not about getting quality feeds, its about sorting the noise and passing on the relevant material so that proper decisions can be made.  Pilots think "differently".  This is a new medium where the focus is on different layers of management.  You don't need pilots to be UAV controllers - you do need one in the room to provide input though as their input is better when it becomes tactical.  everyone else in the room is probably strategic.

the UAV driver doesn't need all the baggage that comes with pilots to do his/her job.

The trend is not to train pilots in UAV handling.  For some reason the USAF still appears to be wedded to it, so outside of ideological, I'm not sure why that's so.

As you know:

Training fighter pilots requires more resources than almost any other soldier. They must undergo years of meticulous mental and physical training before they are ready to withstand the psychological and physiological rigors of air combat. They must be trained to control their fear during a critical system failure, cope with G-force, eject over hostile terrain, and evade enemy patrols. They must also have an intimate knowledge regarding the technical specifications of the immensely complex, multimillion pound aircraft which they pilot.

 

 

Drones don't need all that:

 

RAF chiefs recently approved a plan to use ?lower grade? staff to operate drones, with  only 30 hours? of basic flying training ? rather than those who have undergone the £4million fighter pilot programme.

Source: h**p://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1158084/RAF-jettisons-Top-Guns-Drones-fly-sensitive-missions-Afghanistan.html#ixzz0UG84tJqE

I'd actually prefer to see them armed with ex-French Mirage 2000's to wallop the next bunch of French sailors that come into Auckland to blow up a Greenpeace vessel.