![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/hill-air-force-base-elephant-walk-52-f35-300x185.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
We have talked before about the availability of flying F-35s in the US inventory.\u00a0 Here is a study from the Congressional Budget Office giving the raw numbers on F-35s. Cutting to the chase, our average availability is around 40-50% percent, so figure over 50% of the fleet is unavailable for missions at any point in time. They are quick to point out that we have the oldest F-35 fleet around, some of the planes ten whole years old.<\/p>\n
In a recent report, CBO analyzed how the availability and use of other DoD aircraft have evolved as those aircraft have aged.4<\/a><\/span><\/span> Compared with those aircraft, DoD\u2019s F-35 fleet is very new: 87 of the aircraft began operation during fiscal year 2022, and as of September 2022, more than half of the 532 F-35s in DoD\u2019s possession had operated for less than four full years. Only 44 aircraft were in their 10th or later year of operation.\u00a0 CBO<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Guess that shows what happens when you use them so heavily, right?\u00a0 Try less than 250 Hours – per YEAR – for the most heavily used. Call it less than an hour a day.<\/p>\n
\n\nU.S. military’s concerns over sustaining its F-35 Joint Strike Fighters through the so-called ‘just-in-time’ logistics model that underpins the program, especially during a time of war, have risen dramatically as we noted in April. Overall, U.S. F-35s still struggle in terms of readiness, with about 55 percent of F-35s operated by the Air Force, Marines and Navy able to perform at least one of their assigned missions as of March, a report that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) also released on Tuesday states.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nThe news out of Israel stands in contrast to those issues. It highlights enhanced U.S. support, but also Israel\u2019s initiative to create its own sustainment and aircraft improvement system that has enabled it to avoid problems experienced by the American military.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nSeems the Israelis have\u00a0 much higher\u00a0 readiness rates and faster turn-around times than we do. C’mon, it’s our damn plane! Per Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt, the program manager:<\/p>\n
\u201dTheir mission-capable rates are high. Their full mission capable rates are high.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nOne reason for the IAF\u2019s success with the Adirs is that the U.S. government has surged spare parts and other support capacity to Israel, U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA), Chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, said in his opening remarks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cThe F-35 joint program office has moved at a breakneck speed to support our closest partner and ally in the Middle East, Israel. They’ve done this by accelerating F-35 weapons capabilities and increasing spare parts supply rates in their fight against the atrocities committed by Hamas,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\nWilliam LaPlante, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, offered similar sentiments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cNotably in Israel, we see surging sustainment support in operations that maximizes fleet readiness with 35 of 39 Israeli Air Force F-35A aircraft and exceeds expectations in combat,\u201d he said in his written statement.\u00a0 The War Zone<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n\nSo, we use a Just-In-Time supply chain and expect parts to be ready as they are needed. Heck, we expect procuring parts to happen simultaneously with development of the systems they are made for:<\/p>\n
Block 4 upgrades \u2014 intended to allow the F-35 to carry more weapons, better recognize targets, and improve its electronic warfare capabilities, among other features \u2014 are also facing serious concurrency problems, Schmidt said in written testimony. Concurrency occurs when a system moves through development and into procurement at the same time, which makes it harder to fix problems discovered in testing.\u00a0 Defense News<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Sounds like we are counting on a best-case scenario all the time…and having 50% readiness rates on planes less than a decade old. The Israelis are running far higher rates but are emphasizing doing maintenance and keeping spares in stock. Looks to me like they just might have a better way to fight a war, hmm?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"