The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has stated that of 49 aircraft examined, only four met their annual mission-capable goal in most of the years between 2011 and 2021. Maintaining military aircraft is extremely complicated and even need to be maintained in extreme climates. Overall, aircraft readiness rates have declined, and all three services operating tactical aircraft ( United States Air Force, US Navy, and Marines) are struggling to meet their targets. Here are five reasons why US tactical aircraft have failed to meet mission readiness targets.
1 An aging fleet
US fighters are 28 years old on average
4th/4.5th gen combat aircraft: F-15, F-16, A-10, F/A-18, Harrier 5th gen combat aircraft: F-22, F-35 6th gen combat aircraft: B-21 Raider (claimed by Northrop Grumman)
One of the main issues with the DoD struggling to keep its fighter jets in the air is that they are aging. Most US military tactical aircraft models first entered service in the 1970s and 1980s and have now exceeded their original service lives. Still, the GAO’s findings suggest that 4th-generation fighters like the F-15 and F-16 have had higher readiness rates than new aircraft like the F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor. Perhaps this is because new 5th-generation aircraft are also more complicated and difficult to keep operational.
Photo: U.S. Air Force
The report summarizes the issue as follows:
GAO Report: 5 Reasons The US Military’s Tactical Aircraft Fail To Meet Mission Capable Rates
