Most of Britain's warplanes will be unmanned within 20 years and will do battle in a new and revolutionary 'star wars' type warfare, the defence secretary has claimed.

Ben Wallace said drone-style warfare will become the norm and artificial intelligence will take the controls of Britain's future fighter bombers.

He said that by 2040 just ten per cent of our RAF and Royal Navy planes will be manned and “swarms” of drones will escort war jets into hazardous air missions.

Wallace, in a speech to the virtual Farnborough International Airshow, told the audience: “Today, well in excess of 90% of RAF combat air vehicle are manned and the rest are unmanned.

“I expect a major reversal of these proportions by 2040.”

The RAF are increasingly using Reaper drones (
Image:
PA)

New fighter jets controlled by AI are already being created in a £2 billion programme launched two years ago, which could be ready by 2035.

British RAF Typhoon fighter bombers are currently flying daily missions above Iraq in a bid to track down and smash Islamic State positions.

But increasingly Reaper drones are used to take out ISIS, amid fears our air aces could one day be shot down and captured by the terror network.

Highly developed pilotless drones can track targets for days, operating in relays, waiting for a fighter to be away from civilians before being blasted.

A Royal Marine uses the new ATAC tablet system to survey the battlefield from cover (
Image:
Royal Marines)
Unmanned crafts will decrease the need for soldiers and pilots to go into war zones (
Image:
Royal Marines)

New Protector drones are being bought for Britain's RAF.

They are more sophisticated than previous models and have the ability to fly non-stop for 40 hours.

The drones can even be launched and controlled from the UK, and have a high-tech system allowing them to dodge civilian aircraft.

David Brookes, director of aviation and aerospace charity Air League, said: “The days of the conventional perception of a fighter pilot fighting a bomber a la 1940 are gone.

“The traditional fighter pilot has gone and we will have almost a star wars.

“If you are going into a war zone you don't want to risk your people, so it will increasingly be done with unmanned vehicles.”