Only three of 46 US military aircraft types hit their annual readiness goals most years over the past decade, according to a new report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Of those three, only the US Air Force’s (USAF) UH-1N (Huey) helicopter met its annual missional capable goal for every year between 2011 and 2019. The Huey was followed by the US Navy’s submarine-hunting EP-3E Aries II – achieving its readiness goals in seven of the nine years.

The third aircraft to meet its readiness goals was another navy aircraft the E-6B Mercury airborne command and control platform.

Of the US Military branches, only the US Army saw the average annual mission-capable rate increase for some of its platforms. Across the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, mission-capable rates fell on average over the past decade.

More concerningly, over half of the aircraft examined – 24 – never once met their annual readiness goals in the past decade. These aircraft include the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet, The US Army’s CH-47 Chinook fleet, the US Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and US Marine Corps’ MV-22B Osprey aircraft.

Only three of the 12 rotary-wing aircraft audited met their goals at least once, and only seven of 13 fighter jet aircraft achieved the same.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter only achieved its mission-capable goals in two of the past eight years.

The GAO report explains the importance of the metric, reading: “The mission capable rate – the percentage of total time when the aircraft can fly and perform at least one mission – is used to assess the health and readiness of an aircraft fleet.”

The GAO also reported that for fiscal year 2018, the US paid out $49bn in operating and support (O&S) costs for the listed aircraft. Twenty of the aircraft examined saw their O&S costs increase over the past decade.

Earlier this year, the USAF backed away from readiness goals set by former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, after failing to meet the targets. The goals set by the then Pentagon head were designed to boost the readiness of the USAF’s F-35s, F-22s, and F-16s. None of the aircraft hit the target.