The link below covers an interesting article that appeared in "Popular Science" earlier this month mentioning that the US DARPA Organisation (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is to look at the use of Drones/UAV's in the Air-to-Air combat role. The article also suggests a "mixed" use of such technology with manned aircraft.
DARPA : Teaching Drones to Fight Aircraft
Just setting aside for a moment the technical challenges that will need to be overcome ... it might be interesting to speculate on what a future Air Combat Drone/UAV deployed capability might look like.
For example ... would it be best to control Air Combat Drones/UAV's from the ground (as with current Reconnaissance or Ordnance delivery UAV's), or controlled from the air by something like a Sentry ... or is it conceivable that a Fighter Pilot could even have Drones/UAV's as Wingmen that could then be deployed in a "fight"?
I suspect there will be some very experienced members who might say "it will never happen" ... but looking at the way military technology is progressing in this field ... it may not be too farfetched.
Coff.