Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is also head of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is advising President-elect Donald Trump, called out the F-35 stealth fighter on Sunday while endorsing drones over manned aircraft.
On top of him social networking platform, Xhe reposted a video of synchronized drones flying in elaborate formations and added: “Meanwhile some idiots are still building manned fighter jets like the F-35.”
And under a comment from a user who said, “Drones are the new level of warfare,” Musk responded with a “100” emoji, which indicates a lot of support.
Meanwhile some idiots are building manned fighter jets like the F-35 đď¸ đŤ
pic.twitter.com/4JX27qcxz1â Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2024
In subsequent messages on Sunday, Musk said the F-35 âsât designâ, he proclaimed drones are more efficient to deliver munitions rather than manned aircraft, and underestimated the effectiveness of stealth technology.
The Department of Defense stood by the F-35 and touted its extensive range.
“We have combat-capable aircraft in operation today, and they perform very well against the threat they were designed for. Pilots consistently insist that this is the fighter they want to take to war, if you call it that,” said a spokesman for the Pentagon’s F-35 joint program office. footprint enhances the benefits of the platform, and is the aircraft of choice for partners and allies The program includes US services, seven international partners and 12 foreign sales military customers, and FMS interest in the platform continues to grow. In the next 10 years, there will be 700 F-35s in Europe, of which only 60 will be from the US.”
Lockheed Martinwhich is the prime contractor, said the company would work with the new administration and support the F-35’s capabilities.
“As we did during his first term, we look forward to a strong working relationship with President Trump, his team and the new Congress to strengthen our national defense,” a company spokeswoman said in a statement. “The F-35 is the world’s most advanced, survivable and connected fighter jet, an essential deterrent and the foundation of joint operations across all domains.”
Lockheed shares fell 3.75% on Monday, and Northrop Grummantop F-35 subcontractor, retreated 2.3%. RTXwhose Pratt & Whitney unit makes jet engines, fell 1.8%.
Musk’s criticism sparked a heated debate online about the F-35. On Monday, it doubled another messagereferring to its conception as a multi-role combatant serving different branches of the military.
“The F-35 design broke down at the requirements level because too many people were being asked to have too many things,” he wrote. “This made it expensive and complex for everyone, no owner. Success was never in the set of possible outcomes. And manned fighter jets are obsolete in the age of drones anyway. They will kill the pilots.”
To be sure, the Pentagon has been flying a range of drones for decades, including for surveillance missions and airstrikes. And the concept of a future-generation air superiority program includes a mix of manned and unmanned fighters.
But Silicon Valley Defense startups like Anduril drones are also being developed as the Pentagon develops and buys weapons. In fact, the executive president of Andurile has announced He consulted with Trump and his team about military renewal and is on the way to becoming deputy secretary of defense.
Meanwhile, hundreds of F-35s are already in service with the US military and key allies around the world. During its production cycle, the Pentagon plans to buy about 2,400 F-35s for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps to replace aging, stealthy fighters.
The Pentagon first awarded the contract to Lockheed in 2001, but the program has been a perennial punchline because of cost overruns, delays and its exorbitant price tag.
After factoring in the costs of developing, manufacturing, operating and maintaining the F-35 fleet over the lifetime of the fighter, which can be extended until 2088The Defense Department estimates the F-35 will cost $1.8 trillion, making it the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program.
A recently declassified report by the Defense Department’s weapons test chief found the F-35’s reliability, maintainability and serviceability “””below service expectations.In response to that report, Lockheed said the F-35 “consistently meets or exceeds the reliability performance requirements we have contracted for.”
in one The Wall Street Journal opinion ed Outlining DOGE’s agenda on Wednesday, Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy did not single out the weapons program, but noted that the Pentagon recently failed its seventh consecutive audit, “suggesting that the agency’s leadership has little idea how to spend its more than $800 billion annual budget.” has”.
Changes to the defense budget and weapons procurement ultimately have to pass through Congress, and production of the F-35 is spread across multiple districts and subcontractors.
