The Navy told the public in late September 2019 that the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler had met the 80 percent goal, GAO said. PHIBRON-MEU Integration Exercise (PMINT) provides opportunities for Sailors and Marines to synchronize capabilities as a Navy-Marine Corps team. Some of the manufacturers who make or supply spare parts needed by the C-130J and F-22 are drying up, and some parts used by the C-130J are becoming obsolete and unavailable.Īn MV-22 Osprey prepares for takeoff during integration training between Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 4 and 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) aboard the USS Iwo Jima on Oct. The Air Force’s C-5M Super Galaxy, C-130J Super Hercules and F-22 Raptor are also facing problems with the unexpected need for repairs and parts replacement, unscheduled maintenance and parts shortages and delays. The B-1 was also grounded in 2018 over problems with its ejection seats, and again in 2019. Hyten said in the hearing that deployment after deployment was “just beating the heck out of” the B-1, leaving dozens either in depots for maintenance or otherwise down for other problems or inspections. John Hyten told lawmakers that just six of the Air Force’s 62 B-1s were mission-capable at that time. The B-1 is also dealing with unscheduled maintenance, and a shortage of and delay in acquiring spare parts that worsens a maintenance backlog, GAO said.ĭuring his nomination hearing last August, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. The Air Force’s B-1B Lancer bomber, for example - one of the planes that never met its goals - is aging and has had its service life extended. There are a variety of complicating factors hurting the military’s ability to keep its least-ready airplanes in the air, GAO’s report said.

War thunder battlefield engineer