Air Force Confirms Its F-35As Were Mission Capable About Half the Time in 2023
June 27, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak
The F-35A mission capable rate for fiscal 2023 was 51.9 percent, with the Air Force blaming spare parts availability for the decline from the previous year’s figure of 56 percent.
Mission capable rates measure the percentage of time an aircraft is able to perform at least one of its core missions.
The service previously reported the fiscal 2022 MC rate as 65.4 percent, a figure Air & Space Forces Magazine included in its annual almanac. Now, however, officials say that figure was inaccurate.
Asked about the significant discrepancy and the reason for the error, a service spokesperson said “the reason for the inaccurate number last year isn’t immediately available, but we shared a correction as soon as we realized the error. In order to be consistent, the MC capable rates we report each year measure the same criteria.”
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-f-35as-mission-capable-2023/
