Kid Rock faces cost questions over 'joyride' in military helicopter

Kid Rock, a firm supporter of US President Donald Trump, is back in the news.

This time, he had a seat on an Apache chopper – the renowned attack helicopter in the US Army's arsenal – reportedly raising eyebrows in some official circles.

In the joyride, the rock star, popular in MAGA quarters, flew out of Fort Belvoir while at the same time Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was in a separate chopper.

Taking to X, the War Secretary penned, "Joined my friend Kid Rock — and some of our great U.S. Army Apache pilots — for a ride this morning," adding he is “a patriot and a huge supporter of our troops.”

According to The Independent, citing public flight-tracking data, Rock arrived at the base from his home in Nashville via his private jet and flew back in a helicopter afterward.

It is unclear who paid for the chopper's ride.

In response, Sean Parnell, the Pentagon spokesperson, called the flights part of a "community relations event" for Freedom 250, a White House-led initiative for the country's 250th anniversary.

“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,” he said in a statement.

But this is not the first time Hegseth, as critics say, has handed out a favourable treatment to Rock.

Earlier, a controversy was sparked after military pilots buzzed the Picture hitmaker's mansion in Nashville.

This stunt has caused an uproar, leading to the pilots' suspension. However, Hegseth intervened and cleared them.