The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has noted that the way the U.S. Air Force is operating its F-22 fleet leads to lower aircraft availability and less air superiority training for its pilots.
By Rob Shenk from Great Falls, VA, USA (F-22 Raptor) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
The watchdog found that the stealth fighter is being used for exercises and operational missions that do not require the F-22’s unique capabilities. Jets based in Alaska and Hawaii also have to handle alert duties, which takes away the number of aircraft available for training purposes.
The GAO also found that units are struggling to have enough aircraft for missions at home when part of the squadron is away for deployment.
It recommends the service reevaluate the organizational structure of the F-22 fleet, which was last assess in 2010.