Only 25% of the US Pentagon’s F-35 fleet has been fully mission capable, GAO says
Sailors spin up an F-35C for maintenance operations on the flight deck of USS George Washington. (Photo: US Navy)
The fighter jet remains a combat necessity, but sustainment challenges continue to limit its readiness. In the meantime, the US Air Force seeks billions in funding to improve the F-35’s availability.
The availability rates of the F-35 Lightning II have been a headache for the US Pentagon. In a report issued last week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) alerted that, from FY2021 to FY2025, the full mission capable level, which is the percentage of time the jet can perform all of its missions, declined from 38% to 25%.
The mission capable rate (percentage of time the aircraft can perform one of its tasked missions) also recorded a reduction during this time period from 67% to 44%. It means that nearly half of the US Department of Defense (DoD) fleet was not capable
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