New in 2019: Can fighter squadrons get to 80 percent readiness?
By: Stephen Losey  
Maintainers working on the F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter jets will have their work cut out for them in the coming year. In a Sept. 17 memo, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis ordered the Air Force to get those jets’ mission-capable rates up to 80 percent by the beginning of October.
Considering that F-16s had mission-capable rates of 70 percent or less in 2017, and F-22s and F-35s were at 49 percent and 55 percent, respectively, that’s going to take some doing. Experts agree the Air Force needs to do better on its fighter jet maintenance. But even retired Gen. Hawk Carlisle, former head of Air Combat Command, called it “a stretch goal – as an understatement.â€
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/01/07/new-in-2019-can-fighter-squadrons-get-to-80-percent-readiness/
