
What aircraft availability rates actually measure, and why fleets sit below their targets
Mission capable rates sound like a single honest number, but the metric hides split counts, partial missions, and depot queues that explain most of the gap.
Fighters, tankers, transports and trainers covered through engines, upgrades, flying hours, availability rates and the contracts keeping them airborne.

Mission capable rates sound like a single honest number, but the metric hides split counts, partial missions, and depot queues that explain most of the gap.