B-1B readiness drops 4 years in a row

[unhappycamper]

B-1B readiness drops 4 years in a row
By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 9, 2008 7:28:29 EDT

Even before the B-1B Lancer caught fire Friday after landing in the Middle East, statistics were showing that the heavy bomber of choice for missions in Iraq and Afghanistan has experienced a steady decline in mission-capable and availability rates since 2003.

The Air Force has 67 B-1Bs, most assigned to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, and Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. One from Ellsworth was the one that caught fire Friday, while taxiing after landing at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar and “was involved in a ground incident,” according to the Air Force.

The fire was contained, but no other details were available. The incident was under investigation.

The availability rate — the overall percentage of B-1Bs available to fly, including jets out of service for depot-level repairs and inspections — fell to 51.1 percent in 2007, down from 2003’s rate of 56 percent.

The mission-capable rate — which measures the percentage of jets on a wing’s flight line that are ready to fly — sunk from 70.7 percent in 2003 to 61.2 percent in 2007, the lowest rate since 2001.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/04/airforce_b1b_lancer_040808/



uhc comment: More whining about the aging fleet.