Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Araghchi to Grossi: These parties will bear responsibility for the consequences of their actions
Araghchi to Grossi: Iran will respond to any unlawful action by European countries or parties attempting to turn the Agency into a tool for achieving their objectives
Araghchi to Grossi: We urge the Agency to warn against the consequences of any political move against Iran
Araghchi to Grossi: We call on the Agency to highlight Iran’s full cooperation during the upcoming Board of Governors meeting next week
Araghchi to Grossi: We demand that the Agency reflect the facts in a manner that prevents certain parties from exploiting it to advance their political agendas
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi holds a phone call with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi
Trump envoy Witkoff has sent 'detailed and acceptable proposal' to Iran for nuclear deal; it's in their best interest to accept it: White House Press Secretary Leavitt
Hamas official says Witkoff's position toward group was 'unfair' and shows 'complete bias' to 'Israel'
Hamas official says it has considered Witkoff's proposal acceptable for negotiations, says 'Israel's' response was incompatible with what the group agreed on
Hamas official says group has not rejected Wikoff's proposal for Gaza ceasefire

Pentagon admits only half of its F-35 jet fleet is mission-ready

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Bloomberg
  • 30 Mar 2023 13:35
  • 2 Shares
4 Min Read

Around 53.1% of the F-35 fleet was considered ready to carry out missions as of February, Pentagon says.

  • x
  • A Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft is seen at the ILA Air Show in Berlin. (Reuters)
    A Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft seen at the ILA Air Show in Berlin (Reuters)

The United States has 540 F-35 combat jets and around half of them are not mission-capable, almost 15% under the acceptable limit, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

Around 53.1% of the F-35 fleet was considered ready to carry out missions as of February, the jets' program manager Air Force Lieutenant General Michael Schmidt warned, stressing that this is well below the 65% limit. The full mission capable F-35 aircraft was under 30%, he told the House Armed Service Committee’s aviation subcommittee in a Wednesday hearing.

“This is unacceptable and maximizing readiness is my top priority,” Schmidt said, stating that he intends to achieve a 10% increase on the current rate within 12 months.

“Readiness challenges remain, as indicated in multiple Government Accountability Office findings,” he said.

The fleet's average full mission-capable rate was roughly 39% in 2020; the readiness rates were down from that year, as per GAO. The fiscal year 2020's partial capability rate was 69%.

According to the operational test office of the Defense Department, the availability rate for planes used for combat missions was 65% at the end of fiscal 2022.

It's unclear whether the preparedness rates from last month signify the start of a long-term trend or a brief decline. Schmidt's statement doesn't specify the causes of the decline, but in the past, failures of parts and engine components more frequently than expected have been the main culprits.

Long wait periods for repairs at the depot and unexpectedly frequent need for repair or replacement of Pratt & Whitney engine power modules are other reported problems.

To address the issue, Schmidt’s plan focuses on unspecified “top degraders” of readiness by gathering program personnel, international users, Lockheed Martin Corp, Pratt & Whitney, and their subcontractors biweekly.

The GAO also found in the preview of its annual report on the F-35 that Lockheed Martin reported its poorest performance in six years late last year when it delivered 50% of the aircraft ordered. The Pratt & Whitney 2022 performance of Raytheon Technologies Corp. "indicates that the contractor again delivered nearly all engines late," according to the preliminary study.

Among other findings of the annual report, the Military found that an upgrade was necessary because the "Power and Thermal Management System," created by a Lockheed Martin subcontractor, "is under-performing, resulting in lower engine life."

The F-35 program has run into various bumps, including sourcing shortages issues of certain parts of the staple aircraft since 2019.

The multi-billion project's future has already looked quite grim, with grounded fifth-generation fighters only being able to carry out missions for 12 days on average in 2021 and 11 days in the first half of 2022.

In 2022, the United States Air Force even went as far as grounding its F-35A jet fleet, citing a potentially faulty component in the ejection seat that could endanger pilots in an emergency, a concern that has also grounded other types of military planes used for training.

The F-35 is considered the most expensive military equipment ever built, with a total cost of $412 billion in 2021, up from $398 billion in 2022, according to a Department of Defense report in September 2022.

Read next: F-35 defects put Israeli air force in dilemma: Israeli media

  • F-35 jet fleet
  • Pentagon
  • US
  • lockheed martin

Most Read

US judges quietly consider private security amid Trump tensions

US judges quietly consider private security amid Trump pressures

  • US & Canada
  • 25 May 2025
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive to a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington (AP)

Rift widens: Trump, Netanyahu clash in heated phone call over Iran

  • Politics
  • 26 May 2025
An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 29, 2025 (AP)

Hamas rejects Witkoff ceasefire plan, says alters terms

  • Politics
  • 29 May 2025
Spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announces a new operation against Ben Gurion Airport on May 29, 2025 (Yemeni Military Media)

Yemen announces successful hypersonic missile strike on Ben Gurion

  • Politics
  • 30 May 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
MIT bans class president who gave pro-Palestine speech
US & Canada

MIT bans class president over pro-Palestine speech

Arab ministers condemn Israel 'ban' on planned West Bank visit
Politics

Arab ministers condemn Israeli ban on planned West Bank visit

Major General Hu Gangfeng, Vice President, National Defense University, People's Liberation Army, China, leaves after a panel discussion during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Politics

China blasts Hegseth, calls US top 'troublemaker' in Asia-Pacific

US activists demand shutdown of Musk's 'dirty' supercomputer: Reports
Technology

US activists demand shutdown of Musk's 'dirty' supercomputer: NBC News

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS