Originally Posted by
JamesNoBrakes
The planes will have plenty of logic and databases so they can operate without remote control, plus they'll probably have big parachutes operated by the flight attendent. There won't be any terrorists because there is no pilot or cockpit to control and the planes will land themselves no matter what. Now you can hit the "hijack" button on the ground and the plane will land itself, saving hundreds of lives.
Seriously, you do realize they are going to EASILY address these and all other issues? It's going to happen.
You're right because the Pentagon and other secure areas have never been hacked before, and especially not the U.S. Drone fleet...
A virus was found by the Host-Based Security System on computers used in Nevada at the Creech Air Force Base. In particular, the virus remotely logged keystrokes of computers used by pilots controlling Predator and Reaper UAVs conducting missions in Afghanistan.
"We keep wiping it off, and it keeps coming back," an anonymous source noted. "We think it's benign. But we just don't know."
It's re-assuring to know that they think it's benign.
DailyTech - Computer Network Controlling UAVs Infected by Computer Virus
I think the big issue, that has already been mentioned, is the upfront cost. Especially in regards to infrastructure. Sure we, the USA, could spend the money to redo the NAS, and Boeing and Airbus could spend the money to produce the aircraft and the airlines could buy the aircraft. Now you have an airplane that can only be flown in the USA. If you want to sell the aircraft in Europe, the EU would have to redo their NAS, and every country which you wanted to use the aircraft in would have to do the same, causing larger political and diplomatic issues. This would cause security of the system to become an even greater concern.
Plus, it was barely mentioned how insurance would handle the whole situation. Liability for accidents would shift from the pilots to whom? The manufacturer? The airline? The government? That would lead to increased costs.
I think it could be done, but then who would benefit from the new technology? A small group of companies (airlines) would benefit, and that's if it really would cost less.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RS21698.pdf
Also, according to the CBP Inspector General, the
costs of operating a UAV are more than double the costs of operating a manned aircraft.