Latest "mission-capable rates" stories

US Air Force fleet’s mission-capable rates are stagnating. Here’s the plan to change that.

The Air Force has spent the past four years making a concerted push to ready its planes for war. It’s gained almost no ground.

By Rachel S. Cohen and Stephen Losey

12 months ago

Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., nominated for reappointment to the grade of general and to chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee nominations hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington

US Air Force bails on Mattis-era fighter jet readiness goal

One of the Air Force's fighters had a lower mission-capable rate in 2019 than the year prior.

By Valerie Insinna and Stephen Losey

3 years ago

The Air Force’s B-1 bombers are in more dire shape than we thought

"We’re just beating the heck out of them, deploying them, deploying them," Gen. John Hyten told lawmakers.

By Stephen Losey

3 years ago

It ain’t broke, but still fix it: How predicting repairs is transforming maintenance

Conditions-based maintenance has already been tested on C-5M cargo planes and KC-135R tankers at ten bases around the world, and has also been used on the B-1B Lancer bomber.

By Stephen Losey

4 years ago

B-1 Lancer readiness is in the toilet, here’s why

A House Armed Services subcommittee says the number of fully mission-capable B-1 bombers is now in single digits.

By Stephen Losey

4 years ago

Government watchdog finds more problems with F-35’s spare parts pipeline

Issues with spare parts are contributing to low mission-capability rates in the F-35 fleet.

By Valerie Insinna

4 years ago