this post was submitted on 23 Dec 2024
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Summary

Lockheed Martin UK’s chief, Paul Livingston, defended the F-35 stealth jet program after Elon Musk called it obsolete due to advances in unmanned drones.

Livingston emphasized the F-35’s unmatched capabilities, including stealth, battlefield data-sharing, and cost-efficiency by replacing multiple aircraft types.

While Musk labeled the program overly expensive and poorly designed, Livingston argued drones alone can’t match the F-35’s capabilities or defend against threats like China’s J20 jets.

Despite criticism over cost and reliability, the F-35 remains integral to NATO defenses, with widespread adoption across 19 nations, including the UK.

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[–] Glitterbomb@lemmy.world 69 points 3 days ago (2 children)

The guy that can't deliver self driving cars wants to talk about self driving planes?

[–] sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The cars were going to fly short distances too.

He said he was going to use monopropellant thrusters to make his cars fly.

Hopefully I do not need to point out the many reasons this is a very bad idea, if not functionally impossible.

He also said he was working on an electric aircraft at one point.

Other companies have actually made such things... not Musk though.

[–] skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de 11 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

if lithium battery fires were bad, i'm sure that firefighters are thrilled to see hydrazine fires, several hundreds of kg at a time, after random crashes. lmao. what the fuck was he thinking?

[–] tempest@lemmy.ca 18 points 3 days ago (2 children)

To be fair(TM) planes are a bit easier. Fewer obstacles up there and typically a lot of things broadcast that they are there. They were landing the Russian space shuttle by computer in the 80s.

[–] Zron@lemmy.world 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

No one was jamming the Russian space shuttle, or shooting missiles at it.

It’s one thing to have an autonomous landing program on an aircraft, it’s another thing entirely to have a program that can react to surface to air missiles, enemy jamming, and over the horizon air to air missiles.

Elon musk is an idiot if he thinks a drone can replace all of the capabilities of even an F22, let alone the F35, which is a multi-role aircraft capable of handling all of the above and more. The F35 can jam, do reconnaissance, network with friendly fighters to fire over the horizon missiles, and drop bombs that weigh 1000 times what a drone can carry. Was it a good use of tax dollars considering the budget overruns? Probably not. But can it be replaced by drone swarms? Hell no. The F35 is an unmatched weapons platform, that’s why nato countries have been buying them.

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[–] Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 219 points 4 days ago (21 children)

Elon is such an idiot.

This is the same shit he pulled back when he pushed drones as a solution to all those kids trapped in a cave. They weren't even remotely viable, and when human beings rescued them, he called the leader of that successful operation a "pedo" for absolutely no reason other than his own childish idiocy.

[–] Clent@lemmy.world 72 points 3 days ago (1 children)

he called the leader of that successful operation a "pedo" for absolutely no reason other than his own childish idiocy.

I think it's darker than that. Their solution involved doping the kids so they were heavily sedated during transport. This was out of fear they would panic and threaten their own life and that of the person transporting them.

The dark part is how Musk's mind associated sedating a child to make them more docile with sexual assault.

[–] mhague@lemmy.world 42 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (3 children)

He tried the "have sex with me and I'll buy you a toy, but you can't tell anyone" routine with a worker and got caught. Now he knows those tactics don't work as well on adults.

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[–] ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net 19 points 3 days ago (2 children)

he called the leader of that successful operation a "pedo" for absolutely no reason other than his own childish idiocy.

Come on Muskrat call the CEO of Lockheed Martin a pedo

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[–] skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de 42 points 3 days ago

or like when he brained up hyperloop to prevent normal high speed trains development in california, but this one is too glaringly stupid and it's going against thing that already is proven to work, and with no equals

[–] schema@lemmy.world 26 points 3 days ago

That was the first time heard about Musk other than a few articles about him. And it was the moment I knew that he was an actual dumbass.

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[–] LordWiggle@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago

Every word out of elons mouth is complete and utter bs.

[–] Carmakazi@lemmy.world 127 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

"Fifth columnist says top of the line weapons system that is already paid for and being fielded is actually fucking stupid and you should totally divest from it and pursue some vague futuretech solution."

It's all so tiresome.

[–] skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de 33 points 3 days ago

it's all "hey don't do the thing that works, instead give money to meeee"

[–] ikidd@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Elon might have an accident with his Special K.

[–] Valmond@lemmy.world 32 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Is he doing this just to stay relevant?

You know, no publicity is bad publicity (in both meanings).

Why not criticise hospitals, roads, electric transport, burgers, breathing when he's at it?

[–] skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de 31 points 3 days ago (2 children)

he might be doing this because he has no idea what he's talking about

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[–] skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de 63 points 3 days ago

it's rich coming from dude whose brainchild is cybertruck to say that F-35 sucks

[–] weew@lemmy.ca 12 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

On one hand, unmanned airplanes (drones or remote controlled) will outfly anything with a human on board, because humans are generally the weakest part of the plane. No human = no cockpit or life support, no hatch, no windows, no ejection seats, etc. An equivalent drone plane will be lighter, more structurally sound, and can maneuver at g-forces that will kill a human pilot.

That's the hardware side of things, of course.

The software and information security is definitely not there yet... But I'm sure Elon thinks it'll be ready "next year" just like Full Self Driving...

[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 68 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (3 children)

Drones can be jammed. You cannot match a trained human pilot with an onboard AI pilot, as much as Mr Snake Oil would like you to believe. Imagine fighter jets with the piloting equivalent to the Tesla “FSD”.

Edit: here’s a paywall free mirror for the curious

[–] interurbain1er@sh.itjust.works 20 points 4 days ago (2 children)

he piloting equivalent to the Tesla “FSD”.

Seems perfect for suicide bombing drone. They are meant to crash after all.

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[–] demizerone@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

Elon thinks bcz he's rich the defense contractors can't get him? Michael Hastings got ended bcz he talked a little too much about a general.

[–] SlopppyEngineer@lemmy.world 47 points 4 days ago

overly expensive and poorly designed

Oh, like a flying cyber truck?

[–] perestroika@lemm.ee 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (5 children)

It's expensive, sure.

In some cases, it has no use. In a small Eastern European country, it makes more sense to buy drones, artillery and air defense. If the possible opponent is right next to you, an airfield hosting the F-35 would simply be smashed with ballistic missiles, leaving the fighter homeless. The same money in the form of other items would serve one better.

Far over the ocean, far in the rear - different things make sense. Projecting force quickly to a big distance or intredicting an opponent that does that - requires fighter jets.

For a country whose threat model involves supersonic bombers launching hypersonic missiles at its navy or shipping or coastline from beyond air defense range - that cannot be solved with today's drones, but can be solved with F-35: "intercept the bombers before they launch anything, destroy their airfields". Drones cannot currently stop a stealth fighter, or even stop an ordinary fighter: it will outrun them and possibly run circles around them.

Drones of the future? Could take any form. Maybe some day, the F-35 is indeed a mobile command post in the sky and drones do the hard job. But not currently.

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[–] OutlierBlue@lemmy.ca 20 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Count down until Musk throws a hissy-fit and calls Paul Livingston a "pedo".

[–] skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de 21 points 3 days ago

maybe he lost interest in F-35 because its first flight was 18 years ago

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