American multirole fighter, famed in late Cold War conflicts, renowned for performance in precision daytime strikes and defensive counter air operations. Key figures: top speed 2,178 km/h, range 4,217 km, service ceiling 15,240 m, max takeoff weight 19,200 kg, unit price $19M, built 4,604. In service with 25 air forces as of 2026 — United States (784), Turkey (238), Egypt (218) and 22 others.
| Crew | 1 |
| Length | 15.1 m (49.4 ft) |
| Wingspan | 10.0 m (32.7 ft) |
| Height | 4.9 m (16.0 ft) |
| Wing area | 27.9 m² (300.0 sqft) |
| Empty weight | 8,570 kg (18,894 lbs) |
| Max. takeoff weight | 19,200 kg (42,329 lbs) |
| Powerplant | 1 × turbofan General Electric F110-GE-100 12,701 kgf each |
| Ejection seat | McDonnell Douglas ACES II |
| Maximum speed | 2178 km/h (Mach 2.18) |
| Operational range | 4,217 km (2,620 mi) |
| Service ceiling | 15,240 m (50,000 ft) |
| Climb rate | 254.0 m/s (833.3 ft/s) |
United States
784
Turkey
238 +40
Egypt
218
South Korea
167
Greece
96
United Arab Emirates
76
Pakistan
75
Jordan
61 +12
Singapore
60
Belgium
52
Israel
49
Romania
49
Poland
47
Chile
46
Thailand
46
Denmark
36
Iraq
34
Indonesia
33
Ukraine
31
Portugal
28
Morocco
23
Oman
23
Bahrain
20
Argentina
6 +18
Venezuela
4
United States
Crashed in a field in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, during a low-level training sortie; the pilot ejected and was in stable condition.
Crash
Turkey
Crashed during a training flight near Çiftlikköy, Yalova Province; the pilot ejected and was recovered unhurt.
Crash
Ukraine
Crashed near Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, during an intercept mission against Russian air targets; pilot ejected and survived.
Crash
Greece
In-flight fire, crash-landed at Zakynthos Airport; pilot escaped unhurt, runway blocked to traffic.
Crash
Peru
×12
Peru orders 12 F-16 Block 70 in a 1.5 billion dollar direct commercial sale, reversing its Gripen selection.
Ordered
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fourth-generation fighter aircraft manufactured by General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin. Entering service in 1978, it evolved from a day air-superiority fighter into an all-weather multirole platform. It is known for fly-by-wire flight controls, a bubble canopy, and widespread military adoption.
Originating from the U.S. Air Force's 1972 Lightweight Fighter program, the YF-16 prototype first flew in 1974. It won the Air Combat Fighter competition in 1975 over the YF-17 due to lower operating costs and engine commonality with the F-15. Over 4,600 F-16s have been produced across assembly lines in the United States, Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey, and South Korea, with current manufacturing centered in Greenville, South Carolina.
The F-16 features a cropped-delta wing, blended wing-body construction, forebody strakes, and an underslung air intake. It was the first production fighter designed with relaxed static stability and quadruplex fly-by-wire flight controls to perform 9-g maneuvers. The cockpit incorporates a 360-degree visibility bubble canopy, a side-stick controller, and a 30-degree reclined seat. Power is supplied by Pratt & Whitney F100 or General Electric F110 turbofan engines.
Internal armament consists of a 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon. The airframe features 11 mounting locations, including nine hardpoints capable of carrying up to 17,000 pounds of payload. Compatible munitions include AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMRAAM, AGM-65 Maverick, AGM-88 HARM, laser-guided bombs, JDAMs, and B61 nuclear gravity bombs.
Entering USAF service in 1978, the F-16 saw combat in the Gulf War, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. The Israeli Air Force logged the type's first air combat kill in 1981 and executed Operation Opera against Iraq's Osirak reactor. F-16s have served with 26 nations, seeing combat with Pakistan, Turkey, Israel, and Ukraine, as well as acting as NATO dual-capable nuclear delivery platforms.
President Lai Ching-te's government will ask the Legislative Yuan for NT$1.1225 trillion ($35.2 billion) in defense spending for 2027, the first Taiwanese military budget above NT$1 trillion and the first to exceed 3 percent of GDP.
Forty-seven years after entering service, the F-16 remains the most numerous combat aircraft in the world outside China and Russia, with 2,621 airframes active across 27 air forces in GlobalMilitary.net's 2026 inventory data.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine told the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 21, 2026 that a Ukrainian F-16 had shot down a Russian fighter, the first air-to-air kill for the type in Ukrainian service.
A Hellenic Air Force F-16C caught fire in flight and made an emergency landing at Zakynthos International Airport on July 9, 2026; the pilot escaped unhurt but the jet was engulfed in flames on the runway.
