Elon Musk wants fighter jets replaced by autonomous drones
Even
though Elon Musk has not proven his mastery of war on the battlefield, he has
some ideas about how modern battles should be fought. During a symposium about
the art of war, Musk commented that the era of fighter jets was behind us.
Naturally, the serial inventor suggested a better way to prosecute wars. Why
did Musk comment that we should move on from fighter jets, and what does he
suggest should replace them? Keep reading this article to find out.
Musk
was attending the Air Warfare Symposium in Florida and speaking with US Air
Force Lt. Gen. John Thompson when he remarked on fighter jets being obsolete.
Besides calling for crewed jets' retirement, Musk said it was time for Lockheed
Martin's F-35 fighter jets to have serious competition.
Musk
believes that if the US does not start looking toward new and more innovative
battle weapons, it will fall behind other nations in the arms race.
'This
is not something that was a risk in times past but is a risk now,' Musk said.
'I have zero doubt that if the United States doesn't seek innovation in space
it will be second in space.'
According
to Musk, China can overtake the US economy, which is the foundation of war.
In the
place of fighter jets, Musk suggests the US should develop autonomous drones,
which are fast becoming the implement of war of the future. He said it was
inevitable that drones would take over battles, and the US must be prepared.
Even
if people think Musk was making comments on what was above his pay grade, his
thoughts align with the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence
findings. The group has urged the military to shore up its artificial
intelligence-backed security and defense systems before other nations take
advantage of any lag.
The
report mentions China, which has announced its ambition to become the global
leader in AI by the end of the decade, with $150 billion committed to the goal.
The nation reportedly uses the technology to monitor its citizens using a
much-maligned social credit system. Russia is also said to be using AI to
develop high-tech war machines already.