Earlier this year, the U.S. State Dept. laid out plans to purchase as much as $400 million worth of Tesla Cybertrucks for use by its diplomats. While that deal was canceled, the Air Force is now looking to buy at least two of the electric pickups – but solely to blow them up. Headlight.News explains why.
During friendlier days, Pres. Trump hawked the Tesla Cybertruck on the White House lawn.
The U.S. Air Force plans to purchase two Tesla Cybertrucks and, in the process, will put to the test claims by Tesla CEO Elon Musk that the electric pickups are “apocalypse-proof.”
The planned purchased, posted by the U.S. General Services Administration, is far different from one the State Dept. originally laid out last winter, shortly after Pres. Donald Trump took office. Back then, the diplomatic service laid out plans to acquire about $400 million worth of Cybertrucks which would be used for embassy operations around the world.
Where the State Dept. felt the stainless steel-bodied Cybertrucks could help protect its diplomats, the Air Force wants to see how it can blow up the EVs during “live missile fire testing.”
An unusual endorsement
A video posted by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov showing a Cybetruck with a machine gun clearly raised concerns inside the Pentagon.
The Air Force plan is to see how a Cybertruck could be attacked effectively should it be used to transport one of America’s enemies. The two vehicles will be targeted by precision-guided munitions, noted the military newspaper, Stars and Stripes, In particular, the goal is to see how to take out the Cybertruck due to “concerns that adversaries may start using them in the future.
On multiple occasions, Musk has pointed out the strength of Cybertruck’s stainless steel body, underscoring that with live-fire demonstrations. It is “bullet-proof,” he claimed at the EV’s launch, and “apocalypse-proof.”
There’s some debate over just how strong the EV is, with its windows actually being damaged during one factory demonstration. But the Cybertruck got an unanticipated endorsement last year from a Chechen warlord who released a video showing him driving one of the EV’s. It was subsequently shipped to Russian forces in Ukraine, according to Automotive News.
Nothing “comparable”
During the original debut of Cybertruck a demonstration of its strength went wrong when its window broke.
All told, the Air Force plans to acquire 33 different vehicles for its Special Operations Command to use in live-fire tests at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. But there’s particular interest in Cybertruck because of its design.
“The Cybertruck’s aggressively angular and futuristic design, paired with its unpainted stainless steel exoskeleton, sets it apart from competitors typically using painted steel or aluminum bodies,” said an Air Force document. “Additionally, its 48V electrical architecture provides superior power and efficiency, a feature that rivals are only beginning to develop. Extensive internet searches and industry outreach … found no vehicles with features comparable to those of the Cybertruck.”
The video posted by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov clearly raised concerns inside the Pentagon, according to Stars and Stripes.
More Tesla News
- Ford F-150 Lightning Now Outselling Tesla Cybertruck
- Tesla Weighed Down by $800 Million in Unsold Cybertrucks
- State Dept. Accused of Cover-Up in Planned Cybertruck Purchase
A helping hand
Unsold Cybertrucks piled up earlier this summer in the parking lot of a now-closed Bed Bath & Beyond store in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Back in February it was revealed that a State Dept. procurement plan had been modified by the Trump White House, setting aside $400 million for the acquisition of “Armored Tesla” vehicles. At the time, Musk was running the president’s Department of Government Efficiency and serving as a high-level advisor. The plan was scuttled after it garnered extensive media coverage and Trump has since announced a number of anti-EV measures while also having a bitter fallout with the Tesla CEO.
Tesla could use a helping hand when it comes to Cybertruck, however. While the company once bragged that it had logged over 1 million advance reservations for the electric pickup, demand has fallen sharply since its first deliveries took place in November 2023.
As Headlight.News has reported on several occasions, Tesla has large fleets of unsold Cybertrucks stacking up in various parts of the country, with some analysts estimating their value as more than $800 million. Tesla has repeatedly trimmed production, even while offering price cuts and other incentives on the pickup.
For its part, the Air Force did not list the price it expects to pay for those two Cybertrucks – though they currently run from around $70,000 to more than $100,000. But for the purpose the military has in mind, reported Stars and Stripes,” they don’t need to be in working condition. For testing and training, they just need to have working tires and be able to roll.”
0 Comments