The U.S. Air Force sent a B-1B Lancer long range bomber to fly over South Korea Wednesday as a “show of force” in the face of North Korean provocations. But at a House subcommittee hearing on Air Force readiness later in the day, it was revealed that the service’s long-standing problems maintaining older aircraft cut the mission in half.
“I understand that just this morning two B-1 aircraft were scheduled to respond to a clear and present danger in North Korea, but only one aircraft was able to be successfully launched,” said Rep. Joe Wilson, chairman of the House Armed Services readiness subcommittee.
Reading from a chart showing the Air Force’s current aircraft availability numbers, which shows how many aircraft are fully mission-capable and available be flown, Wilson said, “All but one aircraft type model failed to meet that requirement in the last quarter.”
In response, Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott West, director of current operations, said the problem is an aging fleet, without enough money for maintenance and spare parts.
“The average age of our fleet is 27 years old,” West said. “Given the age of the aircraft, part obsolescence, and the fact that older aircraft tend to fail in newer ways, it’s more difficult to make them available for training, which affects our readiness.”
North Korea conducted another missile test Wednesday, but the U.S. Pacific command said the missile exploded shortly after launch.
The B-1 overflight was conducted in conjunction with large-scale U.S.-South Korean exercises that are scheduled to continue into next month
