The U.S. Air Force does not share the U.S. Navy's view of air warfare's future.

The Air Force will continue deploying manned aircraft and will implement this on future designs, unlike the Navy, which will start focusing on unmanned aircraft.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh, speaking at an event hosted by Defense One, explained the Air Force will continue working with unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) in the future, expanding its current fleet. However, the air arm will also continue employing manned aircraft after the F-35, reports Air Force Times.

"Having the human brain as a sensor in combat is still immensely important in our view," Gen. Walsh said, explaining UCAV's would not replace fighter pilots.

The Air Force will increase its fleet of RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9 Reaper drones, as well as others, but will not stop focusing on manned aircraft. Drone serve better for long-term flights or when a target needs constant surveillance. However, fighter planes and other aircraft will remain with manned crews.

"The Air Force needs a number of platforms, and in this time frame, manned platforms will be the most beneficial," Gen. Welsh said.

"We are looking at sixth-generation capability," Gen. Welsh said, referring to the future fighter to replace the F-22 and F-35. "Air superiority is a mission. It's not a platform, it's a mission."

Gen. Welsh's comments come after Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said the F-35 would be the Navy's last manned aircraft.

However, the Air Force is searching currently for a new bomber. Called Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B), the program seeks a replacement for the current bombers, the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit, pitching the largest defense contractors against each other for the contract.

According to Politico, Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, and Northrop-Grumman are all competing for the new plane, which would earn one of the companies a $55 billion deal. Northrop-Grumman has already started wooing lawmakers. The Federal Election Commission reports the company has $3.3 million for campaign donations, more than its competitors.

Northrop-Grumman started lobbying for the contract during the Super Bowl, airing an advertisement in the Washington, D.C. area during the game's half time.

Defense One reports the new bomber will be designed so other contractors, not necessarily the original company building it, will upgrade it later in its life.

"The design is structured so that we have the opportunity to insert technology refresh in a way which we have not had the flexibility to do in the past," Frank Kendall, the Pentagon's undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, said in a news conference.

"The design is structured so that we have the opportunity to insert technology refresh in a way which we have not had the flexibility to do in the past," he added.

This plan correlates with Gen. Welsh's comments about some aircraft in the future being optionally manned. The LRS-B could later in life use a form of software to fly autonomously during certain missions. However, this remains conjecture.