The fleet’s mission-capable rate — or the percentage of time a plane can perform one of its assigned missions — was 55 per cent as of March 2023, far below the Pentagon’s goal of 85 per cent to 90 per cent, the Government Accountability Office said on Thursday.
Part of the challenges stem from a heavy reliance on contractors for maintenance that limits the Pentagon’s ability to control depot maintenance decisions. Delays also arise from spare parts shortages, inadequate maintenance training, insufficient support equipment, and a lack of technical data needed to make repairs.
Because of the Pentagon’s inane IP laws, maintenance on these planes is a bureaucratic nightmare: defense contractors are able to limit maintenance of these things to only those they contract because of IP restrictions and are not required to teach the military jack shit. Meanwhile, they’re essentially a paperweight half the time because they’re not getting proper maintenance.
How are we supposed to patrol the Arctic with a plane that needs an American private subcontractor to perform essential maintenance on it?
There really weren’t any options. The only question now is do we go to only one fighter jet type or have a mixed fleet.
It certainly was painted as if there were no options.
In a world where other countries exist with their own fighter planes, I bet there were alternatives.
There really aren’t, read into it. Everyone’s buying the F35 and there is nothing else if you want something that will actually be good at war.
I want them (the US) to make a new non-stealthy fighter because right now there are no other options, but it will take at least a decade. It won’t be good at war but can be cheaper to do patrols and escort away intruding Russian planes.
