Billionaire Elon Musk called those who want to build the F-35 fighter jet "fools" amid the dominance of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
In a social media post on November 25th, Elon Musk bluntly criticized the F-35's design, arguing that it requires too many people to create too many components, ultimately resulting in a complex and expensive fighter jet that isn't specialized in any one area. He suggested that manned fighter jets are obsolete in the age of rapidly developing UAVs, according to the New York Post .
A day earlier, the Tesla and SpaceX chief had posted videos of UAVs flying in formation, or UAVs combining to create unique nighttime images. “Meanwhile, some idiots are still building manned planes like the F-35,” Musk wrote.
'UAV era' reigns, billionaire Elon Musk criticizes F-35 fighter jet as expensive
The F-35 is the fifth-generation stealth fighter jet of the United States. This aircraft can be equipped with a variety of weapons for multi-role missions, is exported to many countries, and has variants for each branch of the US military. However, some critics have criticized the high cost and frequent delays of the F-35 project.
US military F-35 fighter jets are parked on the amphibious assault ship USS America.
Mr Musk’s comments sparked debate on social media. Some argued that UAVs would not be able to match the capabilities of traditional fighters, such as range, speed and weapons payload, while others said that UAVs were never designed to compete with fighters, but rather to use their low cost to overwhelm and attack ground targets.
A Pentagon spokesperson told the New York Post that the U.S. military possesses fighter jets that are performing exceptionally well against threats. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-35, said their fighters are the most advanced and survivable in the world .
Billionaire Elon Musk has criticized the US's fifth-generation stealth fighter jet as he prepares to lead a new agency called the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE) under President-elect Donald Trump's second term. Musk is expected to advise the White House on large-scale federal budget cuts. It remains unclear whether the F-35 program will be affected.
According to Bloomberg in September, the F-35 project has seen a 10% cost overrun to $485 billion to address overheating issues. It is also one of the most expensive weapons projects in the US history. To date, approximately 1,000 F-35s have been delivered to the military and sold to allies.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thoi-dai-uav-len-ngoi-ti-phu-elon-musk-che-tiem-kich-f-35-ton-kem-185241126070829955.htm
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