An F-35B Lightning II above the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, September 25, 2018. UK Ministry of Defense
Business Insider: The British air force just got new fighter jets, but there are doubts about whether its fleet is ready to fight
* The British Royal Air Force recently added F-35s and upgraded Eurofighter Typhoons to its air fleet.
* But it appears that many of the service's aircraft have been taken off the flight line, either to go out of service or into maintenance.
* Such moves between front-line service and overhaul periods are part of the life cycle of high-end aircraft.
The British Royal Air Force finalized the initial operating capabilities of its F-35B Joint Strike Fighters and upgraded Eurofighter Typhoons in mid-December, amid rising concerns a growing portion of its overall fleet may not be fit to fight.
Initial operating capability, which was announced on January 10, means the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing capable F-35B is ready to operate anywhere in the world, RAF chief of staff Air Chief Marshal Stephen Miller said, according to Aviation Week.
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WNU Editor: The British Royal Air Force has a bigger problem .... One-Third of Britain’s Air Force Can’t Fly (January 16, 2019).