{"id":2083282,"date":"2026-06-15T11:13:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T09:13:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-35-readiness-gao-report-25-percent-full-mission-capable-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T11:13:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T09:13:40","slug":"f-35-readiness-gao-report-25-percent-full-mission-capable-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/f-35-readiness-gao-report-25-percent-full-mission-capable-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"One in Four: GAO Report Shows F-35 Readiness at All-Time Low"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n\nThe numbers are now official, and they are difficult to explain away.\n\nA Government Accountability Office report published on June 11, 2026 (GAO-26-108113) reveals that the F-35 Lightning II&#8217;s full mission capable rate has fallen to 25 percent. One in four aircraft can perform all assigned missions. The remaining three out of four cannot. The overall mission capable rate \u2014 the percentage of jets able to fly at least one type of mission \u2014 dropped to 44 percent. Both figures represent the lowest on record and continue a decline that has accelerated since fiscal year 2021.\n\nThe Pentagon&#8217;s response is a $13.7 billion sustainment reset plan. Programme officials concede that readiness will get worse before it improves.\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4f8;border:1px solid #dde3ea;border-radius:10px;padding:20px 24px;margin:24px 0;font-size:15.5px;line-height:1.75\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:17px;color:#333\">F-35 Readiness \u2014 By the Numbers (FY2025)<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Full Mission Capable (FMC):<\/strong> 25% (down from 38% in FY2021)<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Mission Capable (MC):<\/strong> 44% (down from 67% in FY2021)<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>F-35A (Air Force):<\/strong> 28.5% FMC \/ 38.6% MC<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>F-35B (Marines):<\/strong> ~14% FMC \/ ~54% MC<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>F-35C (Navy):<\/strong> ~14% FMC \/ ~64% MC<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Air Force target:<\/strong> 65% FMC \u2014 missed by 36.5 percentage points<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Fleet size:<\/strong> 1,300+ delivered globally; 800+ in U.S. service<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>GSS Reset cost:<\/strong> $13.7 billion through FY2031<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Decline in Detail<\/h2>\n\nThe distinction between mission capable and full mission capable matters. A mission capable F-35 can fly and perform at least one type of sortie \u2014 perhaps air-to-air intercepts but not precision strike, or close air support but not suppression of enemy air defences. A full mission capable aircraft can execute every mission in its repertoire. For a platform that was designed from the outset to be an omnirole fighter \u2014 capable of air superiority, interdiction, close air support, electronic attack, and intelligence gathering simultaneously \u2014 a 25 percent FMC rate means three quarters of the fleet cannot do what the aircraft was built to do.\n\nThe variant breakdown is revealing. The F-35A, operated by the Air Force, posted the highest FMC rate at 28.5 percent \u2014 still less than half the service&#8217;s 65 percent target. The F-35B (short takeoff and vertical landing, Marines) and F-35C (carrier variant, Navy) both registered approximately 14 percent FMC. These are the variants that operate in the most demanding environments: amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers. That their readiness is roughly half that of the land-based A model reflects the additional corrosion, structural stress, and maintenance complexity of maritime operations.\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What Is Driving the Decline<\/h2>\n\nThe GAO identifies multiple converging factors. Spare parts shortages top the list. Canopies are the single most common grounding item. A 2025 Lockheed Martin study found 48 parts that the supplier base cannot produce in sufficient quantities. The problem is structural: the F-35&#8217;s supply chain was designed for a smaller fleet. With more than 1,300 aircraft now delivered worldwide and over 800 in U.S. service, demand has outstripped the logistics architecture.\n\nDepot maintenance capacity is a second bottleneck. The programme historically underinvested in sustainment infrastructure, and the backlog at Tinker Air Force Base \u2014 the primary F135 engine depot \u2014 has grown steadily. Premature rotor blade coating distress has added unplanned engine removals to an already strained pipeline.\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-opt-id=1260941454  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/pratt-whitney-f135-engine-f-35-lightning-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Pratt &#038; Whitney F135 engine for F-35 Lightning II\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Pratt &#038; Whitney F135 afterburning turbofan \u2014 the sole powerplant for all F-35 variants. Engine depot backlogs and rotor blade coating distress are among the key readiness drivers. U.S. Air Force photo \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\nThe TR-3 hardware and Block 4 software upgrade has compounded the problem. All 110 F-35s delivered in 2024 were an average of 238 days late due to TR-3 integration issues. These aircraft were delivered with interim software that limits them to basic training flights \u2014 they cannot fly combat missions. Block 4 completion, originally targeted for 2026, is now estimated no earlier than 2031. Lockheed Martin expects the full suite of technology upgrades to extend through 2032.\n\nFinally, there is the contractor dependence issue. The military lacks the technical data to independently maintain the F-35. Every major repair requires Lockheed Martin involvement, creating bottlenecks that a more open sustainment model might avoid. A &#8220;Warrior Right to Repair Act&#8221; is being pushed for the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act after similar provisions were stripped from the 2026 NDAA under industry lobbying.\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The $13.7 Billion Reset<\/h2>\n\nThe Pentagon&#8217;s answer is the Global Support Solution Reset, launched in June 2025 by the F-35 Joint Program Office. The plan calls for $13.7 billion in additional funding through fiscal year 2031, distributed roughly as follows: $8 billion for the Air Force, $3.2 billion for the Navy, and $2.6 billion for the Marines.\n\nOf the total, approximately $7.3 billion is earmarked for depot-level spare parts and materials, $3.1 billion to expand depot capacity, and $3.3 billion for maintenance and fuel. The near-term requirement is $2.2 billion in FY2026\u20132027, with half of that going to spare parts. The target: an 80 percent mission capable rate and 65 percent full mission capable rate by 2030.\n\nWhether the money materialises is uncertain. The Air Force has indicated it can likely absorb its share. The Navy and Marine Corps have flagged &#8220;competing priorities&#8221; \u2014 a diplomatic way of saying that the F-35 sustainment bill is competing with shipbuilding, amphibious vehicle programmes, and every other unfunded requirement in the maritime services.\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Incentive Problem<\/h2>\n\nPerhaps the most damaging finding in the GAO report concerns how Lockheed Martin was compensated for readiness performance. Between 2020 and 2023, the Joint Program Office paid Lockheed $114 million of approximately $269 million in available incentive fees tied to readiness improvements \u2014 during a period when readiness was declining.\n\nIn 19 of 39 performance periods, the JPO and Lockheed adjusted full mission capable rates upward to qualify for higher payments. Without those adjustments, Lockheed would have earned roughly half as much. The JPO could not produce consistent records of these incentive payments, providing three different spreadsheet versions to auditors.\n\nThe current contract, covering 2025 through 2028, contains no incentive fees tied to FMC rates at all. The GAO notes dryly that until the programme ensures &#8220;the future use of incentive fees better achieves the desired performance, JPO increases its risk of continuing to reward performance that does not help the program meet its goals.&#8221;\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Context and Comparison<\/h2>\n\nFor perspective: the Air Force&#8217;s F-16C fleet \u2014 an aircraft that first flew in 1978 \u2014 maintains a mission capable rate of approximately 64 percent. The F-22 Raptor, the F-35&#8217;s older stablemate, sits at roughly 40 percent MC. The overall USAF fleet average hit 67 percent in 2024, the lowest in 20 years. The F-35&#8217;s 44 percent MC rate is better than the F-22 but substantially worse than the legacy fighters it is meant to replace.\n\nThe programme&#8217;s lifetime sustainment cost for the United States alone is estimated at $1.6 trillion.\n\nDouglas Birkey of the Mitchell Institute offered a measured assessment: &#8220;The aircraft delivered in combat like none other. This proves the jet can deliver when the support is aligned.&#8221; He added: &#8220;I can&#8217;t emphasize how consequential underinvestment in readiness for many years was to the health of the F-35 and the entire aircraft inventory.&#8221;\n\nThe GAO has made 46 recommendations on F-35 sustainment since 2014. As of March 2026, only 14 have been implemented. The remaining 32 are open. The F-35 is the most capable tactical fighter ever built. It is also, by the numbers, one of the least available.\n\n<em>Sources: GAO Report GAO-26-108113 (June 11, 2026), Air &#038; Space Forces Magazine, Breaking Defense, Military Times, Defense News, Stars and Stripes<\/em>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The numbers are now official, and they are difficult to explain away. A Government Accountability Office report published on June 11, 2026 (GAO-26-108113) reveals that the F-35 Lightning II&#8217;s full mission capable rate has fallen to 25 percent. One in four aircraft can perform all assigned missions. The remaining three out of four cannot. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":2083204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2083282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>F-35 Readiness Hits 25% Full Mission Capable \u2014 GAO Report 2026<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"GAO report reveals F-35 full mission capable rate dropped to 25%. 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