We already know that Tesla’s Cybertruck fares pretty well in a hail of bullets, but how would it do if a missile landed on it?
Our guess is, not very well. But the U.S. Air Force wants to find out for sure.
Why? Because it believes that the Cybertruck’s relatively affordable price and its tough exterior could make it popular among rag-tag armies looking for mainstream vehicles that are made of sterner stuff.
Online magazine The War Zone has happened upon information revealing that the Air Force recently requested a batch of 33 vehicles that it wants to use for target practice. The shopping list includes sedans, pick-ups, and SUVs, though only Tesla’s electric pickup was mentioned by name. And it asked for three of them.
At some point in the not-too-distant future, the purchased Cybertrucks will be driven to a spot on the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) in New Mexico before being blasted sky high by an array of weapons. The damage will to the pick up will then be carefully assessed.
“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 said in a document seen by The War Zone.
The document continues: “Its 48V electrical architecture provides superior power and efficiency, a feature that rivals are only beginning to develop. Extensive internet searches and industry outreach by [redacted] found no vehicles with features comparable to those of the Cybertruck.”
At its launch event in November 2023, Tesla boss Elon Musk said the Cybertruck was “apocalypse-proof.” While the comment was delivered with tongue firmly in cheek, Musk was highlighting that the pickup was designed to be more robust than others in its class.
In a video shown at the Cybertruck’s launch, Tesla demonstrated the vehicle’s ability to handle a hail of bullets. The stunt began with a Tommy gun before moving onto a Glock, an MP5SD submachine gun, and a shotgun. And the vehicle did very well. Not sure it’ll stand up to something like an AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missile, though.
Data suggests that Tesla sold around 50,000 Cybertrucks between November 2023 and February 2025, well short of the automaker’s expectations. The pressure on sales have been attributed to various factors, including steeper-than-expected pricing, apprehension over multiple recalls, and damage to Tesla’s brand perception amid Musk’s political controversies.
