Is Elon Musk Really Developing A Fighter Jet?

Elon Musk makes headlines often with his eccentric behavior and sci-fi-esque projects under SpaceX and Tesla. Recently, a rumor was published that Elon Musk was developing a fighter jet that seemed to be right out of a science fiction story. The story about Elon Musk's "UFO fighter jet" picked up steam online, and some may be talking about it without doing their due diligence of fact-checking the story and ensuring that it's real. 

Looking at the recent press releases from SpaceX and Tesla, as well as comments from Musk himself, proves that there's no evidence that one of Elon Musk's most recent projects involved a "UFO fighter jet." Unfortunately, even if you think a revolutionary fighter jet fits Elon Musk's entrepreneurial M.O., there's no evidence of a ground-breaking test flight that caused governmental upset, as reported by a viral YouTube video. Let's take an in-depth look at the rumors about Elon Musk's "UFO fighter jet."

A recent video from HyperSpeed on YouTube alleged that Elon Musk had been building what it describes as a "UFO fighter jet," with specifications and weaponry right out of a science fiction novel. The video alleged that the jet had been spotted flying in several air spaces for "testing," and that it would be equipped with "microwave weapons" that could melt other aircraft in combat. 

The viral video also alleged that the new fighter jet (pictured above, which is a doctored or photoshopped image) would be equipped with EMPs that could disrupt enemy weaponry and vehicles. HyperSpeed's video should have been a red flag for many viewers, as its language and tone were fantastical. The viral video seemed more interested in telling a story about how cool SpaceX is rather than reporting about this alleged fighter jet project. Most of the video was just recounting various accomplishments of SpaceX, Tesla, and Musk himself rather than reporting on the story in the headline, which are all major red flags for a story being fake or possibly AI generated.

At this time, there is no evidence, announcement, or any kind of reputable reporting that Elon Musk is designing a fighter jet. Even if he or one of his companies were, it would likely be nothing like the jet alleged in HyperSpeed's video. The "X-One" jet talked about in the video is pure science fiction by today's technological standards. The things the video alleges this new aircraft can do are pretty far beyond the realm of practical possibility: Like allegedly being capable of 4,600 mph (Mach 6) speeds with "impressive fuel efficiency," its ability to disguise itself "as a cloud," as well as using microwaves to "melt enemy aircraft." 

Even if Musk were to design this exact aircraft, there's no telling whether it would be mass-production-friendly — especially with all the sci-fi weaponry that HyperSpeed is alleging it comes with — as it would need to secure a contract with any military worldwide. It's safe to say that if Musk was working on a fighter jet project right now, it would be highly top secret, especially if it's for the U.S. military — it would be nothing like what HyperSpeed is alleging it to be.

Elon Musk's most recent project that he has talked about is his Cybercab robotaxi service. This service uses fully autonomous taxi cabs that will ferry riders from one place to another without intervention from a human driver. This service is slated to be released for public use within the next few years, according to Musk. However, as with any revolutionary service, it's best not to hedge one's bets on a service's purported release date — especially since he's already predicted the release of his robotaxis as being one year away ... five years ago.

In addition to moving towards a fully autonomous taxi service, Musk is still currently working on his Starship project, which recently reached a new, ground-breaking record when part of his newest rocket was captured upon landing during a test flight. Before the launch, the SpaceX team said they would not have been surprised if the rocket needed to land in the Gulf of Mexico, but that never came to pass as the bottom half of the rocket — the Super Heavy Booster — was able to be maneuvered into the robot arms on the launch pad.