Kid Rock takes to the skies in $100m Apache gunship ‘joyride’ with Pete Hegseth
Pro-Trump rocker Kid Rock sparked fury after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth joined him for a $100m Apache gunship “joyride” amid a row over taxpayer-funded stunts
Pete Hegseth and Kid Rock pose in front of an AH-64 Apache helicopter(Image: U.S. Department of Defense )
MAGA-loving musician Kid Rock has swapped his tour bus for a $100million tank-killing machine after being treated to a high-octane “joyride” by the Pentagon‘s top dog. The outspoken rock star was spotted strapped into the gunner’s seat of an AH-64 Apache helicopter on Monday afternoon, flanked by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Pentagon bigwigs confirmed the pair took to the skies in separate choppers from Fort Belvoir, just outside Washington D.C., sparking a furious row over who is footing the bill for the military jolly.
The controversial flight comes just weeks after Hegseth personally stepped in to save a group of pilots who were suspended for performing a “tribute” flypast over the singer’s Nashville estate.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) to brag about the mid-air meet-up, Hegseth wrote: “Joined my friend Kid Rock – and some of our great U.S. Army Apache pilots – for a ride this morning.”
He went on to hail the Bawitdaba singer as “a patriot and a huge supporter of our troops.”
While the Pentagon claims the stunt was part of a “community relations event” for the White House’s ‘Freedom 250’ anniversary celebrations, critics aren’t buying it.
With the Apache costing a staggering $7,000 an hour to keep in the air, California Governor Gavin Newsom let rip at the display. He said: “Why are taxpayers paying to fly Kid Rock around on $100 million helicopters?”
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell defended the move, saying: “Robert ‘Kid Rock’ Ritchie participated in multiple troop touches with service members and filmed videos for Memorial Day, America’s 250th birthday, and for his Freedom 250 tour.”
The “joyride” is the latest chapter in a brewing military storm. In March, Army aviators were hauled over the coals for hovering near the rocker’s home in a move Rock himself described as a “gift.”
In an Instagram clip, Kid Rock’s manager Cory Gierman showed the star defiant over the initial flyby.
Rock said: “I stood by the swimming pool to return the gesture, and I filmed it and I posted it online because I wanted to tell those hypocrites that this is what America should look like.”
Defending the pilots from disciplinary action, Hegseth recently said: “Suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots.”
Flight data shows the rock legend didn’t hang around for the after-party. He reportedly touched down in his private jet from Nashville, completed the ten-minute aerial loop and zipped straight back home.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters .
