--- title: "Elon Musk Tells Air Force General That Fighter Jets Are Over" description: "SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told a room full of U.S. Air Force generals last week that “the fighter jet era has passed,” as CNBC reports. He made the comments at the Air Warfrare Symposium in Orlando Florida last Friday, referring to the fact that remotely-controlled drones, not extremely expensive fighter jets, are the future. […]" date: "2020-03-02" modified: "2020-03-02" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-air-force-fighter-jets-over" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "f-35" - "fighter jet" - "fighter jets" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Tells Air Force General That Fighter Jets Are Over ![SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told a room full of U.S. Air Force generals last week that "the fighter jet era has passed." Remotely-controlled drones are the future.]() *\Image: Air Force/USNORTHCOM/Victor Tangermann\* ## Cancelled SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told a room full of U.S. Air Force pilots last week that "the fighter jet era has passed," as [*CNBC* reports](). He made the comments at the Air Warfrare Symposium in Orlando Florida last Friday, referring to the fact that remotely-controlled drones — and not extremely expensive fighter jets — are the future. "Drone warfare is where the future will be," Musk told Air Force lieutenant general John Thompson at the event. "It’s not that I want the future to be — it’s just, this is what the future will be." ## Trillion Dollar Jet Musk also argued that the American F-35 fighter jet, developed by Lockheed Martin, should have some competition. The jet has cost the Pentagon — and taxpayers — [over a trillion dollars]() to develop. The latest iteration of the F-35 has been steeped in problems, getting [abysmal results during recent testing](). "The competitor should be a drone fighter plane that’s remote-controlled by a human, but with its maneuvers augmented by autonomy," Musk wrote in a [Friday follow-up tweet](). "The F-35 would have no chance against it." ## Second in Space Musk also warned that China's economy could eventually dwarf the US's — and could thereby gain the upper hand in space. "This is not something that was a risk in times past but is a risk now," Musk said at Friday's event. "I have zero doubt that if the United States doesn’t seek innovation in space it will be second in space." **READ MORE:** [Elon Musk tells a room full of Air Force pilots: ‘The fighter jet era has passed’]() \[*CNBC*\] **More on fighter jets:** *[The US’s $428 Billion F-35 Fighter Jet Can’t Even Shoot a Target]()* ## 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]()