Air Force buying two Tesla Cybertrucks so it can learn to destroy them
- Reference: 1754631913
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/08/08/usaf_cybertruck_missile_tests/
- Source link:
We know this because defense industry publication The War Zone spotted [1]contract opportunity posted by the US Air Force Material Command, which seeks suppliers that can provide 33 “target vehicles” needed for tests and training.
A partly redacted [2]contract document [PDF] explains the Air Force wants two of those vehicles to be Cybertrucks because its research indicated they “have been found not to receive the normal extent of damage upon major impact.” Enemies will therefore likely buy Cybertrucks, and the Air Force wants to gain experience destroying them.
[3]
The procurement docs also mention “Standoff Precision Guided Munition (SOPGM) training and tests” conducted by United States Special Operations Command. That sounds an awful lot like the US military wants to fire missiles at Cybertrucks to see how they react.
[4]Florida jury throws huge fine at Tesla in Autopilot crash
[5]Tesla starts sort-of Robotaxi service in San Francisco by invite only
[6]Elon outs $16.5B Samsung chip deal Tesla asked to keep secret
[7]Trump promises he won't put his boot on Musk's neck
The contract also requires the supplier to find 18 sedans with sunroofs, six of them painted white, another half-dozen black, and the remainder blue or green. Five SUVs and five pickup trucks also made the list, along with three Bongo trucks.
The Air Force is happy if the cars can’t run, but insists their wheels still turn and that their bodywork, glass, and mirrors are all intact.
[8]
Whoever wins the gig must drain all fluids before delivery and remove batteries from the Cybertrucks.
The latter requirement is intriguing, as Cybertruck uses lithium-ion batteries, which are known to burn fiercely. The Register fancies that if the USA’s enemies are using Cybertrucks, it could be useful to know what happens when their batteries meet a missile - if only to understand how to avoid collateral damage. Perhaps the Air Force would rather not have to douse a battery fire, which can be very hard to handle.
[9]
The Air Force’s assessment of Cybertrucks as unusually hardy may surprise, given Tesla has acknowledged faults including rust, parts that fall off, [10]software glitches , faulty [11]drive inverters , and [12]more parts falling off due to inadequate adhesive. ®
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[1] https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/7430c560391546a9b1fa020a5b1dd9b4/view
[2] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/08/08/supplied_usaf_tesla_procurement.pdf
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aJXKtjSDfC_4SyVw9YTM5wAAAEU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/01/florida_tesla_verdict/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/31/tesla_robotaxi_san_francisco/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/28/samsung_tesla_chip_deal/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/24/trump_musk_business/
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJXKtjSDfC_4SyVw9YTM5wAAAEU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJXKtjSDfC_4SyVw9YTM5wAAAEU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/tesla_cybertruck_recall/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/14/tesla_cybertruck_recalled_mosfets/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/20/tesla_cybertruck_recall/
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
"Sir, we have successfully destroyed the cybertrucks!"
"We didn't fire the missles yet! What the hell did you do!"
"We tried launching it with a winch, sir!"
or drive it through a carwash. Just take 2 for a test drive and find a big puddle...job done.
It does sound like a very fun day at work.
I expect there are plenty of owners that would love to sell theirs for what's left on the financing, maybe less.
Presumably Tesla prepared to give them surplus inventory. But, the defence industry being what it is, you can't buy anything for less than list price. And that would be the special government list price…
Less than list
Understand the comment. And there's some truth in it. But in this case, they are hiring a contractor to buy the vehicles, and apparently haven't put much in the way of restriction on how they are procured. If it's a fixed price contract, I would guess the trucks delivered will be well used and a bit banged up.
Questions will be asked.
>the Air Force wants two of those vehicles to be Cybertrucks because its research indicated they “have been found not to receive the normal extent of damage upon major impact.
Eh?
"The Air Force" as in USAF? Whose smallest ordonance is an AGM114 Hellfire? 10kg warhead, able to take out an Abrams MBT? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGM-114_Hellfire#cite_note-27]
> Enemies will therefore likely buy Cybertrucks,
Certainly not - they're terrorists, not idiots.
> and the Air Force wants to gain experience destroying them.
This again, I can wholly understand. And support the idea. Vigorously.
Re: Questions will be asked.
Maybe they are going to use up surplus A-10 cannon ammunition before they retire the A-10 next year? A farwell party?
Re: Questions will be asked.
The Hog finally retires? Sad.
CAS just isn't en vogue anymore.
Re: Questions will be asked.
Well, we will see. Dont know how many times the US air force have wanted to retire the A-10
Re: Questions will be asked.
I saw an A-10 shooting cars at an air show once. I don't think I've ever wanted a go in anything more, and that includes the time I met Linda Lusardi when I was a teenager.
In a war why couldn't the US government simply instruct Tesla to disable them with an OTA upadate? It might have to be based on location or customer or something and if the US military also used Cybertrucks it would mean creating a separate build for them so they could exclude their vehicles, but one would imagine that they might want this anyway.
Or are they considering civil war as one scenario?
"Or are they considering civil war as one scenario?"
I doubt many have been sold in the usual locations where the US goes to hold a war, and there's none legally in use in the UK or EU, so the scenarios must be US-specific. Something like either a widespread MAGA revolt or maybe just some isolated crazy decides to use a car as a weapon or delivery system, driving a car at some government asset or personality. Said use cases want something fast-ish, and tough, so Musk's e-redneckmobile fits the bill. The isolated crazy scenario has already occurred in Vegas of course.
Since the testing implies that USAF hope to be around to use its toys against renegade Musketeers, that suggests a concern for an attack on some location, event or individual where attack choppers would be in the air at the time. Or maybe , as with the "trickle down" of war surplus tanks and armoured cars to the US police, USAF are expecting the trigger happy morons of SWAT teams to be getting their own Apaches? Anything's possible in America.
Actually there are clips of them being used in Russia (Checyna's crazy leader apparently has a couple), and a few more in Africa if I remember correctly...
So it's not that far fetched, that America thinks they may have to take them on at some point. But considering the numbers out there, I dont think it's really that necessary beyond a "Hey, lets see what shit we can blow up, that we havent blown up before!"...
I would assume that the US government can just nicely and quietly ask Elon for the remote kill switch for any Tesla vehicle. And close the windows, lock the doors, and set the heated seats to maximum.
Haven't they watched the early Top Gear episode that all baddies drive Toyota Hilux? Or the episodes where they drive a Hilux over an active volcano, or to the North Pole? Good luck trying that with a Cybertruck.
"I would assume that the US government can just nicely and quietly ask Elon for the remote kill switch for any Tesla vehicle."
"Nice" and "quietly" are not in the current administration's lexicon; In theory they could do as you say, in practice anyone using one with malevolent intent will be running on fake (or no) plates and even if they asked for all CTs to be disabled, would they have sufficient time to be able to do this? I suspect not, as most terrorists don't advertise or publish timetables.
This whole thing sounds like Elon's paid one of his buddies who works at the Airforce, to get a story into the news that Cybertrucks are so resilient that the air force want to blow them up as a marketing tactic.
As there is no way that anything that the military have wouldn't be able to disable them.
I'd have thought a stolen F250 would be a more logical risk to face. Plenty of them and it's heavier than a Wankpanzer.
Trump is upping the fight with Elon
Trump is simply planning for the next phase of his fight with Elon!
An Executive Order declaring Cybertrucks as a terrorist threat, he orders the USAF to destroy them all!
This is just the pre-planning, it wouldnt look good to make the order and then the USAF finds they survive the initial bombing run, would it now...
Cyber trucks
Surely a Bongo or Hiace pickup is sturdier?
I think the USAF is in for a treat.
Just shoot at it with a water pistol.