The Royal Air Force presently possesses 485 fixed-wing aircraft in operational status, with 86 undergoing extended upkeep and 27 kept in reserve, as disclosed by a written parliamentary reply.
In response to an inquiry from Baroness Goldie, Defence Minister Lord Coaker stated that 86 of the RAF’s fixed-wing assets are in servicing for periods exceeding three months, while an additional 27 are classified as “fleet management storage”.
The RAF also deploys 86 rotary-wing aircraft, of which 17 are receiving prolonged maintenance. Currently, none of the rotary inventory are in storage.
The Ministry of Defence conveyed that extended servicing periods constitute a customary component of fleet administration, noting that “detailed depth maintenance inspections… frequently require more than three months to conclude.”
Aircraft slated for decommissioning are omitted from the statistics, as they are no longer considered operational, the minister appended. The data offers a momentary overview, showing a substantial segment of aircraft across both inventories engaged in servicing rotations.