I’m back! In Hexbear form!
I do think that if there is a use for them, it will become apparent, probably not replacing regular soldiers though, but augmenting their forces the same way tanks and planes and mechanised infantry didn’t “replace” infantry, but are used as part of larger combined arms forces. Hell, even stuff considered completely obsolete, like cavalry forces, still have their place occasionally in modern war.
Aerial drone, and I wasn’t being too serious, as you can probably tell by the second part of my comment.
What benefit is there to having a soldier pilot a humanoid robot over a regular kind of drone? The drone is more mobile, can carry much heavier weaponry, and can be used for scouting as well as regular battlefield use. While having remote control Gundams would be the coolest thing ever, I just don’t think it would ever be practical enough compared to drones.
On the other hand, the larger payload and durability of a dirigible craft is far superior to a fixed wing aircraft like a plane, they can fly much further afield and carry a much heavier payload, and the act of controlling them is far less taxing than a biplane, or heaven forbid, a triplane. The Kaiser is a fool for investing in this new dead end technology.
He didn’t even techinically break any laws, he’s just really annoying and Australia is sick of him.
This isn’t necessarily fiction, it’s a threat. This is their goal, this is what they plan on working towards with China. They recognise they can’t compete with them economically, so they’re going to leverage the west’s soft power to try and destroy them. I don’t know how well it will work, since the west’s soft power is also waning, and racist anti-China attitudes are only really prevalent in the west, but it isn’t a good idea to underestimate them.
It’s probably just the usual thing the west does, as western systems and social safety nets collapse (healthcare, in this case) they need to distract the population, so they go for the tried and tested “Sure, things are bad, but Bad Guy Country is worse!”
Voiced by Bill Nye the Science Guy so you know he is smart and correct.