Elon Musk, who is set to begin advising President-elect Donald Trump on government efficiency in 2025, criticized the Pentagon’s F-35 program in two brief social media posts on Sunday.
Criticizes building manned fighter jets
The billionaire shared a video montage of coordinated drone swarms on the social platform X, commenting, “Meanwhile, some idiots are still building manned fighter jets like the F-35,” and added a “trash can” emoji. When a user defended the F-35’s capabilities, Musk replied, calling the jet a “sh*t design.”
It remains unclear whether Musk plans to use his upcoming advisory role to influence any aspects of the F-35 program, which is the Pentagon’s most expensive fighter jet initiative. However, Musk has previously expressed criticism of Defense Department spending in a co-authored column for The Wall Street Journal.
Elon Musk highlights issues in federal budgeting
In the article, written with Vivek Ramaswamy, who is slated to lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency alongside Musk, they highlighted issues in federal budgeting. Musk and Ramaswamy noted, “The Pentagon recently failed its seventh consecutive audit, suggesting that the agency’s leadership has little idea how its annual budget of more than $800 billion is spent.” They further emphasized their department’s goal to eliminate “the sheer magnitude of waste, fraud, and abuse that nearly all taxpayers wish to end.”
The F-35 program, developed by Lockheed Martin, has reached a cost of approximately $485 billion following a 10% increase this year, attributed by the Pentagon to necessary improvements in engine cooling.
Elon Musk advocates for remote-piloted alternatives
To date, around 1,000 of the stealth jets have been delivered to the U.S. military and allied forces, with plans for a total production of over 3,000 aircraft. The program’s operational lifespan is projected to extend until 2088, with the Government Accountability Office estimating its total cost—including production and sustainment—will exceed $2 trillion.
Musk has previously advocated for the U.S. to prioritize remote-piloted alternatives to manned jets, arguing this would both address the rise of drone warfare and enhance competitiveness in Air Force procurement.
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