--- title: "The Air Force Says It Needs to Buy Some Cybertrucks So It Can Blow Them Up With Missiles" description: "The US Air Force reportedly wants to buy two Tesla Cybertrucks so it can blow them up with special missiles." date: "2025-08-07" modified: "2025-08-07" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/air-force-cybertrucks" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "air force" - "cybertruck" - "elon musk" - "the digest" --- # The Air Force Says It Needs to Buy Some Cybertrucks So It Can Blow Them Up With Missiles ![The US Air Force reportedly wants to buy two Tesla Cybertrucks so it can blow them up with special missiles.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* The US Air Force wants to buy two Tesla Cybertrucks so it can blow them up with missiles. As our sister site [*The War Zone* reports](), the military is trying to get a better sense of what to do in case an adversary driving a Cybertruck were to ever pose a threat. The publication dug up [contracting documents]() indicating the Air Force Test Center is looking to deliver 33 vehicles, including the two Cybertrucks, to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The operation is part of the US Special Operations Command's Stand Off Precision Guided Munitions program, which involves special ops precision-guided munitions. The test center justified the purchases by arguing that Tesla had made unusual design decisions, including a stainless steel exoskeleton, that "sets it apart from competitors." The Cybertrucks will be used for "target vehicle training flight test events" in case the brutalist pickup were to ever be "used by the enemy." But how big of a threat the Cybertruck will ever pose in the hands of an adversary remains unclear at best. Sales for the pickup are [circling the drain](), amidst [plummeting overall sales]() for the carmaker, becoming a [lightning rod]() for growing anti-Musk sentiment; if any guerrilla groups or hostile states get their hands on them, they'll have to contend with a host of [quality]() and [maintenance issues](), not to mention the logistics of charging on the battlefield. Musk's initial claims of the Cybertruck being bulletproof and ready for the apocalypse also appear to be vastly overblown, as [numerous ill-advised tests have shown](). The truck has [suffered]() from continuous and often glaring technical and quality control issues, making it a poor pick for bad actors. However, that seemingly hasn't stopped Chechen warlord and Vladimir Putin crony Ramzan Kadyrov from [posting a video of himself]() driving a Cybertruck with a machine gun mounted on its truck bed last year. As the *War Zone* points out, multiple companies are looking to turn the Cybertruck into a militarized vehicle, with additional armor protecting its dishwasher-like stainless steel exoskeleton. Law enforcement agencies around the world have also picked the Cybertruck for their fleet, including the [Dubai Police Department](). But while it may not be the automotive revolution Musk once promised, the Cybertruck certainly could make for a large and unusual target during a test run of the Air Force's latest missiles. **More on the Cybertruck:** *[Cybertruck Completely Covered by Labubu Graphics]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()