WASHINGTON: While supporting drones over human-piloted jets on Sunday, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and co-head of the new Department of Government Efficiency advising President-elect Donald Trump, criticized the F-35 stealth fighter.
Fortune in its brief report pointed at a crucial Lockheed Martin technology getting targeted by Elon Musk.
Musk posted a video of drones flying in different formations on Twitter on Sunday morning, with the comment, “Some idiots are still building manned fighter jets like the F-35.”
The F-35 is a Lockheed Martin aircraft that can deploy sophisticated weapons, fly at supersonic speeds, and engage in stealth combat. Chinese and Russian military jets are similar in technology.
Musk may want to rethink his stance. According to Richard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory, modern fighter jets play “irreplaceable roles.” Drones are unable to launch from thousands of miles away to support naval operations or other strategic goals, or intercept enemy bombers, reports AFP.
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There is military equipment for different missions. Only a few days ago, Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific forces, addressed drones in a talk at the Brookings Institution when asked if some of Ukraine’s success thwarting Russian forces with drone technology would be applicable in a conflict between Taiwan and China.
“All right, well, the [Chinese military]’s got 2,100 fighters. They’ve got three aircraft carriers. They have a battle force of 200 destroyers,” said Paparo, adding sarcastically, “Oh well, Roger, we’ve got a couple drones. No problem.”
Lockheed company spokesperson said: “As we did in his first term, we look forward to a strong working relationship with President Trump, his team, and also with the new Congress to strengthen our national defense. The F-35 is the most advanced, survivable, and connected fighter aircraft in the world, a vital deterrent and the cornerstone of joint all-domain operations.”
Musk didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
SpaceX Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell said recently she doesn’t like cost-plus government contracts. She prefers winning bids based on the lowest costs with bigger profits for better execution.
