Pak Sahafat – The US Defense Ministry (Pentagon) announced on Wednesday night that half of the country’s F-35 fighter fleet is not ready for the mission.
According to Pak Sahafat News Agency, quoted by Bloomberg, General Michael Schmidt, director of the F-35 fighter program in the US Air Force, said that 65 percent of these fighters were supposed to be mission-ready, but this figure reached 53.1 percent by February.
He added that some of these fighters were expected to be able to perform at least part of the necessary missions such as combat and training.
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In a written statement he prepared to present to a subcommittee of the US House of Representatives, Schmidt wrote that less than 30 percent of the F-35 fleet is capable of performing all the necessary missions.
He added: This is unacceptable and our main goal is to increase the readiness of this fleet to the maximum.
This official added that his goal is to increase the readiness of the F-35 fleet by at least 10% in the next 12 months.
Reports indicate that the lack of spare parts, the early breakdown of fighter engine parts, and the time-consuming nature of their repair are among the factors that have reduced the readiness of the American F-35s.