You can be pretty much assured that at least one further generation of combat aircraft will be manned. Yes, Taranis, X-47, et al will be pretty handy for 'first day of the war' and for certain, other scenarios, but you can forget all this 'optionally manned' or ' retired Colonel with no AD experience trounced in simulator' nonsense.
The simple truth is that, for most missions where reaction 'on the fly' may be needed, you're still better off, by far, with a MK I meat computer on board, and will be for some time yet. A.I. technologies simply aren't advanced enough to cover the full spectrum and probably won't be for thirty years or more. Indeed, it could be argued that to effectively and fully replace the human component, you'd need full - blown 'General A.I.' - at which point, there may well be far worse things to worry about than the prospect of hanging up your flying suit.
Last edited by JG54; 7th Nov 2016 at 00:40.