Britain hopes to buy 138 fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters, but already has fewer pilots than planes

The British Ministry of Defense is facing a shortage of pilots for the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jets.

Here's What We Know

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the department now has "over 20" F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation fighter jets at a cost of £100 million. More specifically, Britain has already purchased 27 aircraft, but one was decommissioned after an aircraft carrier accident, and three more are in the US.

In total, Britain was planning to buy 138 fighters. But now the ministry cannot even manage the existing fleet of F-35 Lightning II, which consists of 23 U.S. planes.

A key reason has been a delay in pilot training. Training is affected by the novelty of the fifth-generation fighters. The problem could not be solved, despite the fact that three years ago flight training became one of the top priorities of the Royal Air Force of the Kingdom.

Because of constant delays, specialist training can take eight years. Meanwhile, the normal training period for pilots on the F-35 Lightning II is 2-3 years (5 at worst).

Source: Sky News

Image: Flickr