THE FORCE MULTIPLIER’S FORCE MULTIPLIER: Valkyrie combat drone launches another drone during test flight. “It wasn’t that long ago that robotic aircraft were confined to long-endurance reconnaissance flights and occasional missile ground strikes. However, as autonomous systems and artificial intelligence have grown increasingly sophisticated, their capabilities have expanded until the missions that drones and piloted aircraft carry out have not only blurred, but continue to change as the concept of individual aircraft gives way to networked teams working in concert.”

Its networking abilities make the F-35 more than the sum of its expensive parts. Allow the pilot to control a few networked armed-drone-carrying armed drones, and the possibilities get really interesting.