PARIS — The French Navy's three-strong fleet of Hawkeye E-2C spy planes increased its 2015 operational availability to 32.3 percent from 24.7 percent in the previous year, and last year's maintenance bill for the aircraft was €30 million (US $33 million), according to the French Ministry of Defense.



The details on cost of maintenance were in the ministry's Nov. 8 written response to François Cornut-Gentille, a member of the French parliament, who had asked the Navy how much the service paid to maintain its aircraft.



The average age of the Northrop Grumman Hawkeye airborne warning and control planes flown by the French Navy was 15.9 years at the end of 2015.



The 23 Dassault Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft had the lowest availability, with 26.2 percent compared to 25.9 percent, and cost €117.3 million to maintain. The average age was 26.2 years.



