Recommendation 10

The Department also told us that the 2025 CSG deployment, required for FOC declaration, had impacted availability before the deployment and would impact availability for some weeks after the deployment, because of the need for additional maintenance.16 The National Audit Office’s report noted that the impact of the deployment on operational readiness might last for several months.17 The flexibility of the training squadron was also impacted by the reduced number of aircraft available in the UK during the deployment.18 In order that FOC actually means what it says careful evaluation is needed in future to avoid premature unsubstantiated announcements. F-35 capability and availability