"The United States is seeking to upgrade around 300 jets over the next few years and Boeing sees the the conversion of F-16s, which were originally made by General Dynamics, as one option for this programme.

The news could signal an increasingly dogmatic focus on UAVs as not just a complimentary source of air power for fighter fleets, but as a direct replacement for all platforms.

It could be that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, being designed by Lockheed Martin, will be the last manned fighter ever built as costs of the jets spiral and as governments seek to de-risk the warzone for troops."