Only half of the F-35 fighters in the US Air Force fleet are ready to perform combat missions. This statement was made by the program manager, Lieutenant General Michael Schmidt. The news served by Bloomberg shows that the US’s fifth generation F-35 fighters are falling behind in combat readiness.Schmidt, in the report he prepared for the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, stated that the rate of ready-to-operate fighter jets in the US fleet, which consists of more than 540 F-35 fighter jets, was 53.1 percent as of February. This is well below the 65 percent target set.
F-35 rate that can perform all missions is lower
The program manager emphasized that we are talking about performing only part of the tasks, including combat and demonstration flights, training and testing. The experienced general also said that the rate of aircraft capable of performing all missions is at a much lower level, at 30 percent.
Describing this situation as unacceptable, Schmidt plans to increase preparation rates by at least 10 percent a year. The general did not mention any reason in the report he prepared, but it was previously reported that F-35s had frequent engine failures and spare parts shortages.
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