WASHINGTON – In a recent event at a Virginia military base, Kid Rock and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took to the skies in Army Apache attack helicopters, according to a defense official. This follows previous scrutiny over military aircraft flying near the musician’s Tennessee residence.
Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, explained that the flights were part of a “community relations event” tied to a White House initiative named Freedom 250. This program is organizing activities in celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary.
“Robert ‘Kid Rock’ Ritchie engaged with service members in multiple interactions and recorded videos for Memorial Day, the nation’s 250th birthday, and his Freedom 250 tour,” Parnell stated.
Back in March, similar Army helicopters flew near Kid Rock’s home. The musician is known for his vocal support of former President Donald Trump. These helicopters were also seen flying over a protest in Nashville against the Trump administration, which raised safety questions and inquiries about the legitimacy of those flights.
The Army initially pledged to investigate the March incidents involving the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell and temporarily grounded the pilots. However, Hegseth promptly halted the investigation.
Army representatives clarified that the helicopters were on a training mission when they flew near Kid Rock’s property and stressed that their presence was unrelated to the protest.
Kid Rock’s jet left Nashville early Monday and landed at Fort Belvoir in Virginia at 6:30 a.m., according to open source flight data.
Shortly after 1 p.m., a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache took off, did a few loops over the base and landed about 10 minutes later, according to the Military Air Tracking Alliance, a group of open source data analysts who track military flight activity across the world.
That same helicopter was part of a group of four Apaches, as well as two H-60 Blackhawk helicopters, that had arrived at the base Saturday from Fort Campbell, which sits on the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
Drop Site News was first to report Monday’s flights in Virginia.
An Army Apache helicopter costs about $7,000 per hour to fly, said an Army official, who like the defense official, spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not authorized for public release.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office took to social media to criticize the flights, saying, “Why are taxpayers paying to fly Kid Rock around on $100 million helicopters?”
Newsom is a sharp critic of the Trump administration and seen as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate.
Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, a former Army Ranger, posted on social media: “Why is Pete Hegseth spending your taxpayer dollars to give Kid Rock ‘joy rides’ on Apache helicopters?”
When asked about the costs associated with public events like flying celebrities or military flyovers, military officials typically argue that they help fulfill regular training requirements for pilots and so do not represent an additional cost for taxpayers.
According to publicly available flight data, Kid Rock’s jet landed back in Nashville shortly after 3 p.m. Monday.
Apaches typically have a two-person crew who can both fly the helicopter, though one typically focuses on managing the weapons system. A passenger would replace one of the crew members, meaning that Hegseth and Kid Rock would not have flown in the same aircraft at the same time.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
