Elon Musk Questions F-35 Fighter Jet’s Budget And Efficiency Concerns

Elon Musk has sharply criticized the Pentagon’s F-35 stealth fighter aircraft, drawing attention to escalating costs and unaddressed performance issues.

At a Glance

Elon Musk called the F-35 “obsolete” and criticized its complex design.
The Pentagon’s F-35 program costs are increasing, despite reduced usage.
Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are pushing for improved government efficiency.
Experts argue transitioning to drones may not reduce costs as expected.

Musk Criticizes F-35 Program

Elon Musk vocalized his concerns about the Pentagon’s F-35 program, deeming it inefficient and outdated in the modern era where drones are increasingly utilized. Musk’s main criticism lies in the aircraft’s design, which he claims tries to fulfill too many roles at once, leading to needless complexity and high costs.

Musk argues that reliance on manned fighter jets is outdated, with drones representing the future of warfare. Citing cost issues and the Russia-Ukraine conflict as evidence, Musk suggests that drones offer an advantage of being less vulnerable and more efficient than traditional fighter jets.

The F-35 design was broken at the requirements level, because it was required to be too many things to too many people.

This made it an expensive & complex jack of all trades, master of none. Success was never in the set of possible outcomes.

And manned fighter jets are… https://t.co/t6EYLWNegI

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2024

Pentagon’s Response and Rising Costs

The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin maintain that the F-35 is an advanced fighter jet preferred by pilots. “We have combat capable aircraft in operation today and they perform exceptionally well against the threat for which they were designed,” a Pentagon spokesperson noted.

However, despite a reduction in planned usage, the costs related to the program continue to rise. The Government Accountability Office reported a projected cost increase of over 40%, attributing it partially to performance reliability issues.

Elon Musk says human-piloted fighter jets like the F-35 are obsolete. Drone tech can't yet fill the gap. https://t.co/ptMx1L7sE4

— Business Insider (@BusinessInsider) November 26, 2024

Efficiency and Audit Failures

Amidst this criticism, Musk, along with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, focuses on military spending inefficiencies, bringing to light the Pentagon’s failure to pass its seventh consecutive audit.

Their efforts emphasize transparency and cost control, questioning the current expenditure of over $800 billion annually by the Department of Defense.