In a funding battle for the F-35, Musk will have to win over a skeptical Congress and Trump

• Elon Musk sharply criticized the F-35 stealth jet and its builder, Lockheed Martin.

• Musk could target the expensive program as part of his efforts to cut federal spending under Trump.

• Congress has historically valued the stealth fighter from three military branches, despite its problems.

Just weeks after President-elect Donald Trump ordered Elon Musk to cut government spending, the SpaceX CEO criticized the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program: the F-35.

Musk called the jet’s design “shit” and mocked the “idiots” who created the fifth-generation stealth fighter, widely considered a cornerstone of the U.S. Air Force. His comments suggest he could be eyeing the $2 trillion F-35 program, and possibly other fighter jets, for possible cuts.

To do that would be an uphill battle. He would probably first have to convince Trump, who for years has repeatedly praised the F-35 for its high-end stealth capabilities. Then he would have to gain support within the Pentagon and Congress, which controls its funding.

DOGE could focus on defense spending and the extremely expensive F-35

Trump has appointed Musk to head the new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which is charged with tackling government waste. Defense spending is a big potential target for the initiative.

It is the largest discretionary spending category in the federal budget, with a budget of $824.3 billion for the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2024 budget. And the Department of Defense recently failed its seventh audit in a row.

The F-35 has had many problems. It has suffered development setbacks and continues to face cost overruns and readiness issues, with availability declining even as program costs increase. Earlier this year, a government watchdog report found that the program will cost more than $2 trillion over its life.

In posts on X this week, Musk sharply criticized both the stealth fighter jet and, indirectly, its manufacturer: US defense giant Lockheed Martin. He said drones can now mimic the effect of manned aircraft on the battlefield.

He also wrote that the design of the F-35 fighter “was flawed at the level of requirements because there had to be too many things for too many people. This made it an expensive and complex all-rounder, a master of none. Success was never possible.” in the range of possible outcomes.”

Some defense analysts say the battle-tested aircraft is still a crucial capability in the U.S. arsenal — one that cannot simply be replaced by drones.

The multirole fighter jet is flown by the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, with three different versions for use from traditional runways, large deck amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers. It is designed to perform air combat, ground attack and other missions. The aircraft first flew almost twenty years ago and is expected to remain in service until 2088.

In response to Musk’s comments, a Lockheed Martin spokesperson said the F-35 is “the most advanced, survivable and connected fighter aircraft in the world, an essential deterrent and the cornerstone of joint operations across the domain.” They added that Lockheed looks forward to “a strong working relationship with President Trump, his team, as well as the new Congress to strengthen our national defense.”

A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on Musk’s criticism of the F-35 when asked about it during a media briefing Tuesday.

Any proposed cuts to the F-35 program could face opposition in Congress from lawmakers who have traditionally supported it because of the spending it brings in the form of factory jobs in many districts. In fact, the House of Representatives’ defense spending bill for fiscal year 2025 called for more F-35s than the Pentagon initially requested.

Trump’s transition team did not respond to a request for information on whether it plans to reduce or end the F-35 program.

How Musk could save money on the F-35 program

Michael Bohnert, a certified engineer at the RAND Corporation, told BI that the F-35 fighter is “cost-competitive” with global alternatives.

Bohnert said taking away the pilot wouldn’t really change costs, and multiple drones would be needed to recreate the capabilities of an F-35. The final cost of those platforms could end up being more expensive and still ultimately less capable.

A better way to save money, he said, would be to improve the cost-efficiency of ammunition and automate maintenance.

“Expanding F-35s with unmanned systems would be valuable, but unmanned systems are not a replacement,” he said. Completely canceling the fighter “would be one of the greatest gifts imaginable to America’s enemies,” he said.

Stacy Pettyjohn, director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security, told BI that the US cannot replace manned aircraft with drones in the short term anyway. The technology is not yet advanced enough.

She said the Pentagon has not yet deployed fully lethal autonomous weapons “that are advanced and can understand their environment, decide what to do and act completely independently.”

“Almost all drones in existence today are remotely piloted or at most semi-autonomous,” she said. “Developing the autonomy in a responsible way and then deciding that we have confidence in sending it on extremely consistent missions, that’s the long shot.”

Read the original article on Business Insider