F-35 Lightning II, F-22 Raptor, B-52 Stratofortress, B-2 Spirit, B-1B Lancer and others - American military aircraft have been unable to pass combat readiness tests for 10 years

Bloomberg News Agency reports that U.S. military aircraft are not ready for combat missions.

Here's What We Know

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has audited 49 aircraft. Representatives of the federal agency said that such a number of aircraft is a representative sample, which makes it possible to assess the overall condition of the air fleet.

From 2011 to 2021, 26 of the 49 aircraft never met the readiness indicators. One of them is the fifth-generation F-22 Raptor fighter. The same goes for Northrop Grumman's E-2 Hawkeye long-range radar detection deck aircraft.

The F-35C Lightning II fifth-generation deck fighter has only been tested twice in 10 years, and the Marine Corps' F-35B Lightning II has failed completely. It has never been ready for combat missions since 2011.

The base variant of the fifth-generation fighter, the F-35A Lightning II, has been tested twice. Nuclear bombers are doing slightly better. The B-52 Stratofortress and B-2 Spirit were mission-ready three and six times, respectively. But the B-1B Lancer supersonic bomber has only once met the test criteria.

Source: Bloomberg

Image: Mer et Marine, Airforce Technology