Tesla’s Cybertruck has sparked some interesting debates around aesthetics and utility versus novelty, but the U.S. military just wants a few of them to blow up.
The Air Force Test Center submitted a procurement request for 33 towable target vehicles to be used as targets for live missile fire testing. The request mostly focuses on sedans of various colors, trucks, SUVs and “Bongos,” which appears to be the term they used for a Japanese Kei truck.
But the list mentions the Cybertruck specifically, noting that the vehicle could appeal to enemies since they don’t seem to take the same amount of damage expected upon major impact.
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The study cited the Cybertruck's “aggressively angular and futuristic design, paired with its unpainted stainless steel exoskeleton, and 48V electrical architecture as features set it apart from other similar vehicles on the market.
It’s all valid reasoning and it could be a good use for all the unsold Cybertrucks sitting around. In May, an Electrek report said that Tesla’s inventory for its electric pickup had soared past 10,000 units.
Still, the Air Force wanting Cybertrucks for target practice can’t be what Tesla was hoping for at this point. The company last month reported its most recent quarterly earnings, marked by the third consecutive drop in profits.
Reports have also suggested that Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s political career has taken a toll on the company’s brand loyalty. According to a Reuters report, market research from June 2024 found that among current Tesla owners, 73% were likely to buy another Tesla. But by March 2025, that figure had fallen below 50%.
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