Air Force fighter pilots fly about one sortie monthly
By The BriefBrief
A Mitchell Institute expert says U.S. Air Force fighter pilots are flying only about one sortie per month for nondeployed jets, down from roughly five and a half per month in fiscal 2023. The expert said combat readiness typically requires about nine or 10 sorties monthly, and the Air Force has stopped reporting sortie-rate data.
WHO:John Venable, senior resident fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
WHAT:Says fighter pilots are flying far fewer sorties per month than needed for combat mission readiness and that sortie-rate data has stopped being reported.
WHEN:Reported Sep 11, 2026 at 5:21 PM ET
WHERE:USA
WHY:Part of ongoing military operations.
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