A high-ranking US general told lawmakers Tuesday that the military aims to have 80% of its F-35 jets ready for missions by 2030, while warning that maintenance and logistics systems have not kept pace with the stealth fighter fleet's rapid expansion.
Lt. Gen. Gregory Masiello testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee, describing the F-35 as a "cornerstone" of US and allied military power. He said the aircraft is now deployed across 42 bases worldwide and aboard 23 aircraft carriers — 10 US and 13 operated by other countries.
Masiello said the fighter has been used in numerous military operations in recent years, including strikes on Iran during the war launched on Feb. 28 by the US and Israel.
"This aircraft is the only one that can strike some of the targets that cannot be struck and can see everything," he said.
Identifying readiness as his top priority, Masiello cited a growing mismatch between the size of the global F-35 fleet and the logistics system supporting it.
"My job is clear: deliver a reliable and affordable system capable of sustaining high operational tempo, with a path to achieving 80% mission capable rates no later than 2030," he said.
"Our current sustainment system was built to support a fleet of 700-800 aircraft. To date, the government has accepted over 1,300 F-35 aircraft worldwide," he added. "There is our challenge in readiness."
Masiello also highlighted the program's growing allied dimension, noting that partner nations now own and operate the majority of F-35s deployed across key theaters.
"If I look in a few years in Europe, as an example, we will have almost 800 F-35 distributed across multiple nations. Less than 10% of that will be US aircraft," he said.
His remarks come after a recent Government Accountability Office report found that only about 25% of US F-35s were fully mission capable last year, while the fleet's overall mission-capable rate had fallen to 44%, citing rising sustainment costs and persistent shortages of spare parts.
