If a drone goes down, the drone pilot can man another one. All that training and knowledge is retained. We have only to look to WWII to see the strategic value

If a drone goes down, the drone pilot can man another one. All that training and knowledge is retained. We have only to look to WWII to see the strategic value of sapping the enemy of their experienced pilots. Which, in turn, could mean that shooting down enemy drones is no longer a goal. Perhaps it becomes more like a carrier formation, with a drone formation defending the operators, and the aggressor looking to destroy the operators instead of the drones. Much like how a carrier is a far larger prize than a carrier fighter.