F-22 Readiness Crisis: The U.S. Air Force Built Only 187 F-22 Raptors — Their Mission-Capable Rate Has Hovered in the Low 50% Range

F-22 Readiness Crisis: The U.S. Air Force Built Only 187 F-22 Raptors — Their Mission-Capable Rate Has Hovered in the Low 50% Range

The F-22 Raptor has struggled with readiness rates throughout its service life, with numbers in recent years particularly troubling. Readiness has been a perennial issue not just within the F-22 Raptor fleet, but across the U.S. Air Force more generally. The average mission-capable rate for the U.S. Air Force in 2024, according to one source, was 67.15 percent. In 2023, that number was slightly higher, at 69.92 percent. In 2022, that figure was,…