U.S. President Donald Trump. File
| Photo Credit: AP

US President Donald Trump on Friday announced he will offer the F-35, considered the world’s most advanced fighter jet, to India. The big announcement came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with Mr Trump during his whirlwind US visit. But amidst the buzz around the announcement, Elon Musk’s old comment is gaining traction on the internet, where he criticised the fighter jet, calling it “the worst military value for money in history”.

In a post on November 24, 2024, Musk remarked on a video showcasing a fleet of small drones, stating, “Meanwhile, some are still building manned fighter jets like the F-35.”

Meanwhile, some idiots are still building manned fighter jets like the F-35
pic.twitter.com/4JX27qcxz1

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2024

In a follow-up post, Musk elaborated on what he perceives as the flaws of the F-35, stating, 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 obsolete in the age of drones anyway. Will just get pilots killed.”

“Crewed fighter jets are an inefficient way to extend the range of missiles or drop bombs. A reusable drone can do so without all the overhead of a human pilot. And fighter jets will be shot down very quickly if the opposing force has sophisticated SAMs or drones, as shown by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Fighter jets do have the advantage of helping Air Force officers get laid. Drones are much less effective in this regard.”

Crewed fighter jets are an inefficient way to extend the range of missiles or drop bombs. A reusable drone can do so without all the overhead of a human pilot.

And fighter jets will be shot down very quickly if the opposing force has sophisticated SAM or drones, as shown by the…

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2024

Musk’s anti-F-35 rhetoric reached a high point when he said, “Some US weapons systems are good, albeit overpriced, but please, in the name of all that is holy, let us stop the worst military value for money in history that is the F-35 program!”

Some US weapons systems are good, albeit overpriced, but please, in the name of all that is holy, let us stop the worst military value for money in history that is the F-35 program!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2024

The aircraft is renowned for its advanced stealth features and intelligence-gathering capabilities. However, it has consistently faced criticism due to its high operating costs and ongoing technical issues, especially with its software.

File image of an Air Force fighter aircraft F-35 fighter jet
| Photo Credit: AP

An F-35 fighter jet crashed during a training exercise at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska on Tuesday (January 28, 2025), but the pilot was safe after bailing out, base officials said.

The pilot experienced an “in-flight malfunction,” and was able to eject from the aircraft, U.S. Air Force Colonel Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, told a news conference, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The crash happened while landing during a training exercise, according to the report.

Eielson Air Force Base said in a statement that the incident on Tuesday afternoon resulted in “significant damage” to the F-35 Lightning II aircraft.

The pilot was safe and taken to Bassett Army Hospital, according to the statement.

“I can assure you the United States Air Force will conduct a thorough investigation in hopes to minimize the chances of such occurrences from happening again,” Townsend said in the statement.

The F-35 is the most expensive U.S. defense program and Lockheed Martin’s biggest revenue generator, contributing about 30% of its bottom line.

Lockheed said earlier on Tuesday it would be less profitable than expected in 2025, in part because of a delayed rollout of upgrades to the F-35.

The Pentagon plans to spend $1.7 trillion on the F-35 program, including buying 2,500 planes in the coming decades.

A pilot was seriously injured after ejecting from an F-35 fighter jet, which crashed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, On Tuesday, CBS News quoted two officials of the US Department of Defence as saying that the aircraft was a developmental model of the $135 million jet, which was en route to Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, more than 1,100 kilometres away from Albuquerque. Local outlet KOB4 said the crash took place around 1.50pm (local time) after refuelling at Kirtland Air Force Base.

Lieutenant Jason Fejer, a spokesperson for Albuquerque Fire Rescue, said in a social media video that multiple agencies responded to the crash.

Videos posted on social media show the scorched wreckage of the plane burning in a field by the side of a road and firefighters trying to douse the blaze. They successfully controlled the fire, said Mr Fejer.

#BREAKING: F-35 Crash at Albuquerque Airport!

An F-35 fighter jet has just crashed during takeoff at Albuquerque International Airport, New Mexico.

The pilot did eject from the aircraft just in time and is reported to be okay and being transported to a nearby hospital.

The… pic.twitter.com/R57CdfG402

— Larry (@InterStarMedia) May 28, 2024

“Grateful for the rapid action of the first responders who arrived to the scene. Praying for the pilot,” Albuquerque’s Mayor Tim Keller said on social media.

The fighter jet went down near International Sunport in Albuquerque. The pilot was conscious and rushed to University of New Mexico Hospital, as per CBS News.

It is not known if the pilot was an Air Force serviceman or a civilian.

New York Post said that this is the second crash involving a military plane in two months in New Mexico in as many months. In April, an F-16 Fighting Falcon went down in a remote area near the Holloman Air Force Base in the southern part of the state.

The pilot suffered minor injuries after he ejected from the plane.

Located on the southern edge of Albuquerque, Kirtland Air Force Base is home to the 377th Air Base Wing.