Billionaire Elon Musk, recently appointed by US President-elect Donald Trump to lead efforts to reduce federal spending, sparked fresh controversy on Monday with his outspoken views on the obsolescence of manned fighter jets. Musk, the head of SpaceX, Tesla, and X, argued that drones represent the future of air combat, directly criticising the F-35, the cutting-edge fighter jet developed by Lockheed Martin.
“Manned fighter jets are obsolete in the age of drones anyway. Will just get pilots killed,” Musk posted on his social media platform, X.
Musk singled out the F-35, a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet that entered service in 2015, as emblematic of outdated military technology. Sharing a video of drones flying in formation, Musk wrote, “Meanwhile, some idiots are still building manned fighter jets like the F-35.”
The F-35, widely regarded as one of the most advanced aircraft globally, is designed for stealth, intelligence gathering, and multi-role missions. However, the program has faced persistent criticism for its high development and operating costs, as well as technical issues, including in its software systems.
“The F-35 design was broken at the requirements level, because it was required to be too many things to too many people,” Musk claimed, describing it as an “expensive, complex jack of all trades, master of none.”
Musk’s remarks reignited debate over the future of air combat. Mauro Gilli, a researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, countered Musk’s claims, noting that the F-35’s cost is largely driven by its advanced electronics and software, not its piloting systems.
“This is significant because a reusable drone would need to get all that flashy electronics of an F-35,” Gilli said on X. He also highlighted the F-35’s strategic role, arguing that its mere existence forces rivals like Russia and China to invest in advanced aircraft and radar systems.
“By simply existing, the F-35 and the B-1 force Russia and China into strategic choices they would not have to make otherwise,” Gilli said, referencing the B-1 heavy bomber. “Even if Musk were right (and he is not), deleting the programs would relax these constraints on them.”
The F-35 has been adopted by numerous nations, including Germany, Poland, Finland, and Romania, all of which have signed recent procurement deals.
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