As of February 2023, only 29 percent of the United States’ F-35 jets were considered ‘fully mission capable.’
Questions regarding who controls the U.S. Air Force’s F-35 fighter jet program arose in recent House Armed Services Committee budget hearings.
The F-35 Lightning II aircraft program is described by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) as the Department of Defense’s “most ambitious and costly weapon system and its most advanced fighter aircraft.”
During a hearing Wednesday, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) asked about concerns related to who is in control of the program as well as why the number of planes rated as “fully mission capable” is well below expectations.
“The F-35 is our signature Air Force platform,” Mr. Gaetz said. “What percentage of them are fully mission capable today?”
The response from Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall III was that 55 percent of the planes were operationally available.
Mr. Gaetz asked whether Mr. Kendall thought that was good or bad, to which he replied it was “not a good number,” though he didn’t agree with Mr. Gaetz that it was a “failing” number.
The testimony was in contrast to…
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