Musk: "F-35 Fighter Jet, Expensive and Problematic from Design"

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and nominee for the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the second Trump administration, criticized the F-35 fighter jet, saying, "The F-35 design had problems from the requirements stage."

On the 25th (local time), Musk posted on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that the F-35 "had too many requirements to meet," adding, "As a result, the F-35 became an expensive and complex aircraft, but it ended up not excelling at any one thing." He also stated, "Manned fighter jets are useless in the drone era anyway," and added, "(Manned fighter jets) only serve to kill pilots."

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla. Photo by AP Yonhap News

The day before, Musk also criticized, saying, "There are still idiots making manned fighters like the F-35."

The F-35 is a 5th generation stealth multirole fighter developed by Lockheed Martin, the largest defense contractor in the world. It has been adopted by the U.S. Department of Defense as well as South Korea, the United Kingdom, Japan, Norway, the Netherlands, and Israel. However, Musk has argued that Lockheed Martin’s fighters are becoming relics of a bygone era and that drone warfare is the future. He has especially emphasized the need for fighters that can be remotely piloted by humans while also capable of autonomous maneuvering. Upon his nomination as head of government efficiency, he targeted the F-35 again.

As Musk is expected to lead federal government budget efficiency efforts, these remarks appear to be a prelude to significantly cutting F-35-related costs. According to Bloomberg News, the U.S. Department of Defense’s F-35-related expenses this year are $485 billion, a 10% increase from last year.

The U.S. government plans to produce more than 3,000 F-35 fighter jets and has delivered about 1,000 to the U.S. military and allied countries so far. The F-35 is planned to be operated until 2088, with development and maintenance costs estimated to reach $2 trillion.