Just a few weeks ago, US entrepreneur and new politician Elon Musk criticized the F-35 fighter jet from Lockheed Martin sharply. He shared a video of Chinese drones on his X platform and commented: “Meanwhile, a few idiots are still building manned fighter jets like the F-35.” But after images and videos of the first Chinese 6th generation fighter jets flying a few days ago a few days ago, Musk is now surprisingly calling for more speed in the development of conventional combat aircraft such as the US 6th generation NGAD project.
Musk released a video in which he talks for more than three minutes about the two new Chinese fighter jets – and about the consequences and impact of the developments on plans for the United States’ Next Generation Air Dominance program (NGAP). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm0K0jQUW_Y “What China has done is mind-blowing,” Musk says right at the beginning of the three-minute recording. “While we Americans were sipping eggnog and hanging up our Christmas stockings, there were state-of-the-art stealth aircraft in the skies over Chengdu.”
A “tectonic shift” in the military balance of power
Musk then goes into raptures about the design, the payload and the estimated speed of the two Chinese designs. “These jets are like the Swiss Army Knives of the air. Anyone who thinks this is just about military posturing is missing the bigger picture,” Musk continued. “It’s not just about China building jets, but also about the fact that the country is now setting the pace in global aviation technology. For decades, the US has been a leader in stealth technology and fighter jet innovation. We developed the F-22 and F-35 – the kings of the sky. But now? It’s like we’re still driving fifth-generation Priuses while China is driving a sixth-generation Tesla Roadster,” Musk said, comparing the plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius with the electric car produced by his company, Tesla.
Musk then asks where the US 6th generation fighter jet is. “Of course we’re also thinking about development? But where is the jet? It only exists on a few pretty Power Point slides. China now has real airplanes in the air. That’s a huge gap, and it’s not going to close any time soon.” What’s more, Musk even identifies a “Tectonic shift in the global balance of military power: “In the past, China always lagged behind us. The US built the F-22 in the early 2000s, China’s J-20 was not introduced until 2011. But now? China isn’t just catching up – China is overtaking us and that changes everything. If these jets are as advanced as they appear to be, they will give China a serious advantage in the Pacific.”
Musk continued: “This is a big problem for the US. We’ve relied on our air superiority for decades, and if China can now take that away from us, it just canceled the Pentagon’s Christmas party.”
China’s jets as a wake-up call for the USA
The supporter of incoming US President Donald Trump is calling for more speed in the US 6th generation efforts. “We can’t just sit back and hope that our existing jets will be enough. It’s time to invest in sixth-generation technology like our lives depend on it. Because, let’s face it, they kind of do. In the future of warfare, it’s not about how many tanks or ships you have, it’s about who controls the airspace. And right now it looks like China wants to dominate that space. But I’m an optimist and if there’s one thing America is good at, it’s innovation. We have the talent, the resources and yes, the ego to do it. But we need to focus, invest and revive the good old competitive spirit to succeed.” https://militaeraktuell.at/militaer-aktuell-podcast-3-drohnen-bundesheer/ Musk concludes: “I’m not here to scare anyone. But let’s be honest – the pictures from China are a wake-up call. China is no longer playing around. They are innovating at a pace that is hard to keep up with. And these new jets are proof that they’re ready to take things to the next level. The US needs to take this seriously. Because if we don’t, the skies of the future could look very different than they do today. So yes, kudos to China for getting this done. But they shouldn’t sit back. The race is not over yet.”
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