Elon Musk Met with the Pentagon about a ‘Flying Metal Suit’; Is it a Real-Life Iron Man?

Jun 10, 2016 12:35 PM EDT

If you are not familiar with Elon Musk, then you are probably familiar with Tesla Motors, which he is the CEO of.  The PayPal entrepreneur also founded the aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company SpaceX.  The man has been parodied on The Simpsons, and he recently made some interesting observation about how we could be living in a simulation last week.  He apparently met with the Pentagon the other day, and the conversation could be about a "flying metal suit". 

The reason why we know this is the billionaire's Twitter account.  This was in response to a CNN article on his visit to the Pentagon, meeting with Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on Wednesday.  The apparent focus of the closed-door meeting is apparent "innovation", and it looks like it is possibly related to SpaceX, but it could be related to a tweet of Musk states "something about a flying metal suit". 

Musk has always been a man who just wants to do innovation for innovation's sake, and he is well-known for that.  Apparently, Elon Musk, who doesn't mind being compared to fictional billionaire Tony Stark, does not also seem to mind being compared to Stark's greatest creation of Iron Man. 

More likely, the visit isn't related to the creation of Iron Man, but is more related to connecting government and private technology, and could be more likely related to Space X.  Maybe it is more discussion of electric vehicles like those from Tesla, how about some word about self-driving cars? 

Ash Carter spoke in San Francisco last March saying that Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUX) would allow the Pentagon "to better tap into the region's innovation ecosystem and build relationships with local companies".  This meeting between Musk and Carter could be related to cybersecurity, but Musk isn't exactly well known for that. 

As for that Iron Man thing, that might not be a rumor.  A source from CNN shows President Obama making an announcement that he is working with the military to make "Iron Man".  This statement was made at a press conference in February of 2014, and reminds me of the end of the 2008 Iron Man film where Robert Downy Jr. says: "the truth is, I am Iron Man". 

In all honesty, the statement feels like something that Jay Pharaoh would do on Saturday Night Live when he does his impersonations of the president. The audience at the conference seems to have a fond chuckle over this, and then Obama says that it is classified.

Of course, if it is classified, then why in the world does he even mention it, at all?  Just to let you know, one of the characters in Iron Man said that "twelve of these could level Asia". If the U.S. military is trying to make an army of Iron Men, then be prepared to screw up the balance of power!

So, is Elon Musk really working on a flying metal suit?  Is this science fiction really beyond the realm of science fact?  Is it weird that I don't know the answer?