The Air Force plans to buy two Tesla Cybertrucks to use as targets for precision munitions during testing and training, according to contracting documents published online Aug. 6, 2025. The service says the vehicles are needed to prepare for adversaries who may use them in the future. (Tesla)
The U.S. Air Force wants to purchase two Tesla Cybertrucks as targets for precision-guided munitions, citing concerns that adversaries may start using them in the future.
Federal contracting documents posted online show the trucks as part of a larger buy of 33 vehicles that will be sent to White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to support U.S. Special Operations Command.
The Air Force didn’t specify makes for the other 31 vehicles on its wish list — which includes sedans, Bongo trucks, pickup trucks and SUVs — but singled out the Cybertruck because of its unique build, which makes it tougher to destroy.
The truck doesn’t sustain the amount of damage expected from a major impact, the Air Force wrote, and tests need to reflect real-world situations.
“The Cybertruck’s aggressively angular and futuristic design, paired with its unpainted stainless steel exoskeleton, sets it apart from competitors typically using painted steel or aluminum bodies,” the Air Force wrote in contract documents. “Additionally, its 48V electrical architecture provides superior power and efficiency, a feature that rivals are only beginning to develop.”
A missile is fired during a test launch at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., in this undated photo. The Air Force plans to buy two Tesla Cybertrucks to use as targets for precision munitions during similar tests, according to contracting documents posted online on Aug. 6, 2025. (John Hamilton/U.S. Army)
When Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the long-anticipated futuristic pickup truck in 2019, the bulky build drew comparisons to tanks and armored vehicles.
Musk said the body was built from the same stainless steel alloy used in SpaceX rockets. He also said the windows were unbreakable — a claim disproven on stage when Tesla’s chief designer threw a metal ball and broke two windows.
Tesla later posted a YouTube video showing the Cybertruck’s exoskeleton withstanding gunfire from a tommy gun, pistol and shotgun.
The Air Force didn’t specify which adversaries it thinks may use Cybertrucks. In 2024, the strongman leader of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, posted a video of a gun-mounted Cybertruck that he said had been sent to the front lines of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
A new Cybertruck costs between $70,000 and $80,000, with the top-tier “Cyberbeast” variant topping $100,000.
Federal documents didn’t specify how much the Air Force is willing to pay for the targets but noted that they don’t need to be in working condition. For testing and training, they just need to have working tires and be able to roll.
