Elon Musk Furious at Starlink Being Used for American Suicide Drones

SpaceX provides the US military access to a proprietary intelligence-based satellite network called Starshield, while Starlink broadband services are used for civilian connectivity. Ukrainian forces have used many Starlink terminals to maintain internet access during outages in the war with Russia. Disagreement centers on which network is used for military purposes and what SpaceX gains from the arrangement. Reuters sources report SpaceX raised Starshield connectivity pricing for LUCAS suicide drones from about $5,000 to nearly $25,000 per connection. Elon Musk denied Reuters claims about improper use and terms-of-service violations while confirming the core dispute about connectivity for the drones. Musk said the drones’ manufacturer used the civilian Starlink system instead of the government Starshield system, and referenced a Pentagon spokesperson correction.

"SpaceX has established itself as an influential contractor for the US military, allowing the Pentagon access a proprietary intelligence-based satellite network dubbed Starshield. The related network of Starlink broadband satellite services has also played a major role in ongoing military conflict, with Ukrainian soldiers making use of thousands of Starlink terminals to bypass internet blackouts amid the country's war with Russia. But who gets to use which network, and what SpaceX is getting out of the agreement, remains a hotly contested subject."

"As Reuters reports, SpaceX officials hiked up the price for Starshield connectivity of the US military's LUCAS (Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System) suicide drones, which are uncrewed kamikaze aircraft that can identify targets and detonate on impact. According to the news agency's sources, SpaceX successfully convinced the military to pay closer to $25,000 per connection, instead of just $5,000, a fivefold increase in the cost per drone."

"Reuters article is false, he wrote. They made improper use of the Starlink civilian system for military purposes. Direct violation of terms of service. In other words, it's Musk versus Musk: he's broadly denying Reuters claims while simultaneously confirming its central thesis that the military and his space company have been butting heads over how its suicide drones were connected."

"In a follow-up tweet, Musk clarified that there is a US government arm of SpaceX called Starshield, which has a different set of satellites than Starlink, which is for civilian use. The company that makes the suicide drones incorrectly used the civilian system, instead of the Starshield, Musk added. The billionaire also called attention to what he called a correction by Pentagon spokesperson Sean"

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