The Tesla Cybertruck May Have Found Its True Calling: Military Target Practice

The Tesla Cybertruck inspires strong opinions. People either love or hate the shiny, sharp-angled trucks, many of which have been vandalized and even shot with paintball guns as a reaction against Tesla CEO and former Trump administration staffer Elon Musk. 

So this one's for you, Cybertruck haters: The Air Force recently had 33 vehicles, including two Cybertrucks, delivered to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, with plans to shoot them up. 

Documents first spotted by TWZ show that the Air Force is looking to test the durability of the Cybertruck, given its unique makeup and features, for target-vehicle training test events. 

Representatives for the Air Force and Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Read more: Every Tesla Cybertruck Recall Since the Vehicle Was Released

Ever since the Cybertruck was announced, Tesla has touted it as difficult to damage. Musk called the vehicle "bulletproof," and said it would survive an apocalypse. In an infamous 2019 launch event, Musk challenged a colleague to throw steel balls at the truck's windows, saying they wouldn't break. They did.

The Cybertruck performed better in later tests. In 2024, Tesla posted a YouTube video where the truck held up to gunfire from a Tommy gun, pistol and shotgun.

Because of the Cybertruck's tough outer structure, made of a proprietary stainless steel alloy, there's an expectation that the vehicles could be used by an enemy. Air Force documents note that the truck "does not receive the normal extent of damage expected upon major impact." 

And that expectation is backed up by some evidence. In 2024, Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the Russian Republic of Chechnya, posted a video of a Cybertruck with a machine gun mounted on it, saying it had been sent to the front lines of Russia's war in Ukraine.

The planned military tests will mirror these potential real-world situations in a live-fire test. We don't know exactly what weapons the Air Force plans to turn on the Cybertrucks, but probably everything they've got that can make a dent in them.

Read more: Cybertruck Recall Hits 46K Vehicles Thanks to a Glue Failure 

The other vehicles chosen for testing include pickup trucks, SUVs and sedans. But only the Cybertrucks were called out specifically by model and maker name.