Ottawa defends its decision to order 88 F-35 fighter jets for $19 billion, while billionaire Elon Musk maintains that it is “idiotic” to continue building such aircraft since we have entered “the age of the drone “.
• Also read: Musk wants to replace fighter jets with drones
• Also read: His fortune reaches nearly $350 billion: Elon Musk has never been so rich
“There are still idiots building human-piloted fighter jets like the F-35,” Mr. Musk wrote Monday in a message accompanying a video of drones in action on the X platform.
A sign of the billionaire’s influence, the value of the shares of Lockheed Martin, which manufactures the famous F-35, had fallen by 3.75%, just a few hours after this publication.
A so-called fifth-generation stealth aircraft, the F-35 has recently been the subject of export contracts to Romania, Poland, Germany… and Canada.
In January 2023, Ottawa ordered a total of 88 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, for the sum of $19 billion. The first planes are to be delivered starting in 2028, and the federal government hopes to replace the CF-18 fleet by 2032.
“This new fleet of fighters will be efficient, scalable and resilient, and will ensure interoperability with our allies and partners to allow Canada to continue to meet its commitments, particularly to NATO and NORAD,” he said. writes a spokesperson for National Defense in an email sent to Journal mardi.
Faulty design, says Musk
In other messages, the new head of the “department of government efficiency” in the Trump administration argued that the F-35 has become a “complex and expensive” machine without any combat specialty.
“The F-35 design failed in terms of requirements because it was asked to be too many things to too many people,” he said Monday, before adding: “With the only result the death of the pilots.”
Called to react, National Defense emphasized that the F-35 is “the most advanced combat aircraft on the market.”
“Among the many advanced capabilities it will offer Canada’s pilots are enhanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities that will greatly enhance their situational awareness and survivability in today’s highly dangerous operating environment,” it was argued.
Drone era
Furthermore, Ottawa recalls having purchased 11 remotely piloted aircraft (drones) last December, for $2.49 billion.
“We must ensure that Canada has a modern, adaptable military ready to respond to emerging and evolving security challenges,” National Defense Minister Bill Blair said at the time.
