62 per cent of US Navy fighter jets can’t fly

Due to repair delays and wait for spare parts, nearly two-thirds of the US Navy’s F/A 18 strike fighter jets are currently unable to fly.

With more than half of all Navy aircraft out of service and no budget agreement in place to increase defense spending levels, the top brass says its usable planes are being pushed to the limit.

“For a variety of reasons, our shipyards and aviation depots are struggling to get our ships and airplanes through maintenance periods on time,” vice-chief of Naval operations adm. William Moran said, as reported by CNN.

The number of non-operational F/A 18 Hornets is “double where we should be,” he said, confirming that 62% of the Navy’s F/A 18s are not flying.