Getting into service within the U.S. Air Pressure in 1978, the F-16 Preventing Falcon was developed as a lighter and cheaper counterpart to America’s high air superiority fighter the F-15 Eagle. Acquisitions of the plane allowed the service to part out third technology fighters just like the Vietnam Battle period F-4E Phantom extra rapidly and on a wider scale in methods the unaffordable F-15 couldn’t, and have been thus key to bringing massive numbers of squadrons as much as a fourth technology normal. Produced on a larger scale than every other fighter of its technology, by the start of 1988 the F-16 had already shaped 24 frontline squadrons throughout the U.S. Air Pressure and a number of additional coaching items. An estimated 1300 plane have been in service, with a whole lot extra by then fielded by purchasers throughout NATO and the broader world. The F-16 was prized for its low upkeep wants and operational prices, in contrast not solely to the F-15 but additionally the F-4 from the earlier technology, in addition to a decent endurance for a fighter of its dimension and the power to manoeuvre and attain speeds that have been seldom seen on single engine plane. Though designed primarily for air to air fight, the F-16 would see comparatively little use in such roles due largely to issues that the plane was outmatched by Soviet fighters of its technology such because the MiG-29, and carefully matched even by increased finish third technology Soviet jets just like the MiG-23MLD and MiG-25PD. This resulted within the U.S. and allied Israel relying closely on the upper finish F-15 to counter challenges within the air.
The F-16 managed to retain its place because the world’s most generally used fourth technology fighter largely as a result of collapse of the Warsaw Pact and disintegration of the Soviet Union, which stripped the rival MiG-29 of its consumer base and rapidly ended the large manufacturing scale that had been sustained all through the Eighties. The American fighter proved extremely widespread on export markets on account of its very low value, with enhanced variants nonetheless in manufacturing in the present day for nations that for political causes have been denied entry to its fifth technology successor the F-35. The F-16’s a lot larger reliability, fight readiness and decrease lifetime prices have made it a considerably engaging choice regardless of what’s seen to be its rising obsolescence. With the U.S. Air Pressure having stopped buying F-16s in 2005, and at the moment retiring the plane, a rising variety of sources have claimed that the F-16 is out of date for fight towards superior adversaries. USAF Fight Command Chief Common Mike Hostage predicted that the plane could be out of date by 2024, whereas Singaporean Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen put the date at 2030. Whereas F-16s are anticipated to proceed being phased out of upper finish air forces, the category stays by far probably the most extensively used amongst Western fight jets. As a result of sheer numbers acquired by many consumers, and to delays buying successors for monetary or political causes, or in additional circumstances on account of points and delays within the F-35 program, phasing F-16s fully out of service within the close to or medium time period just isn’t a viable prospect.
Amongst F-16 operators six air providers subject very massive fleets of near 200 or extra plane, with their acquisition processes and histories working the fighters and certain plans for phasing them out differing considerably. A have a look at all six of the F-16’s main operators and the anticipated futures of their fleets offers vital perception into the fighter class’ future:
United States Air Pressure: 511 F-16s
Regardless of having reduce numbers sharply to a fraction of prior ranges, and purchased no new plane for over 18 years, america Air Pressure stays by far the biggest operator of the F-16 with an estimated 511 plane regarded as in service firstly of 2023 – 410 F-16C single seaters and 91 F-16D twin seaters. It’s anticipated that the F-16 fleet will contract much less quickly in 2023 than in prior years due primarily to points with F-35 manufacturing, which signifies that the Air Pressure is unlikely to obtain the initially deliberate 48 F-35 airframes for the yr. The Air Pressure has reduce deliberate F-35 acquisitions from 110 new plane per yr to 80, then 60, and at last simply 48, with even this a lot lowered determine unlikely to be met in 2023. The result’s that F-16s will stay in service for considerably longer than deliberate and nicely into the 2030s, with delays to the F-35’s service entry since its first flight in 2000, and even larger delays reaching a full operational functionality, rising reliance on outdated F-16s considerably. Points with the F-35 have been severe sufficient that the Pentagon in early 2021 was confirmed to be contemplating buying enhanced F-16s, or an in depth spinoff of the design, and slicing orders for F-35s. F-16s are extremely unlikely to be deployed for top depth fight apart from in supporting roles or in a battle’s later levels after enemy fleets and air defences are worn down, with even medium and decrease finish Chinese language and Russian fighters such because the J-10C and Su-30SM having very distinct benefits over the outdated Falcons. With the U.S. Air Pressure’s F-35 fleet at the moment numbering roughly 350 fighters, not solely is the fleet anticipated to be outnumbered by J-20 fifth technology fighters from China’s personal Air Pressure as early as 2025, however it would additionally probably take till 2026 on the very earliest earlier than F-35s outnumber F-16s.
Turkish Air Pressure: 260 F-16s
The second largest operator of the F-16, the Turkish Air Pressure deploys eight squadrons of the plane which characterize successfully its whole preventing power apart from a single unit of ageing F-4s. 260 F-16s are thought to at the moment be in service, though none are from extra manufacturing blocks variants and all use successfully out of date mechanically scanned array radars reasonably than phased array radars. This leaves the Turkish fleet at a definite qualitative benefit towards the highest fighters of most of its neighbours, from Russian Su-35s and Syrian MiG-29SMTs to Greek Rafales and shortly Greek F-35s. Turkey has struggled to part even its F-4s out of service, not to mention its F-16s, on account of its eviction from the U.S.-led F-35 program by which it was beforehand a accomplice in and vital contributor to manufacturing. Ankara is at the moment urgent to be permitted to accumulate F-16 Block 70/72 fighters from america to exchange its F-4s, in addition to fashionable lively electronically scanned array radars and avionics suites to modernise a few of its more and more out of date current plane, though Washington has constantly confirmed reluctant to permit such a sale. Turkey’s F-16 fleet is additional deprived by the very restricted vary of munitions it has entry to with AIM-120C air to air missiles fielded in very small numbers, and older AIM-120B and AIM-7 missiles thought of successfully out of date. Its air to floor arsenal is equally underwhelming.
Egyptian Air Pressure: 207
The Egyptian Air Pressure acquired its first F-16s in Might 1982, with the category forming the spine of the nation’s fleet for the subsequent 40 years and representing virtually all acquisitions the Defence Ministry made for the subsequent 30. F-16s in the present day type 9 of the nation’s sixteen fighter squadrons, with nearly all of the remaining plane being second and third technology plane similar to Soviet MiG-21s, Chinese language J-7s and French Mirage 5s. Though quite a few, Egypt’s F-16s have stood out as among the many least succesful on the planet for a number of causes, with the plane downgraded very considerably with poor avionics, a scarcity of standoff vary air to floor or anti ship weapons, and negligible past visible vary air to air armaments apart from a variety of lengthy since out of date AIM-7 missiles. Whereas Egypt had acquired a few of the united states’s most succesful fighters earlier than its Anwar Sadat administration shifted to type defence ties with the West, as a Western consumer the arbitrary restrictions put in place partly on account of Israeli lobbying in america ensured that it might rapidly lose its standing as a number one fight aviation energy. Uniquely amongst main purchasers for the F-16, Egypt had negligible industrial or technological inputs into the plane – contrasting sharply with even a lot smaller operators similar to Japan and the United Arab Emirates which noticed native business extensively concerned.
A shift within the Egyptian Air Pressure’s acquisitions coverage got here solely after two consecutive army coups in Cairo introduced the administrations of Adly Mansour and Abdul Fattah Al Sisi into energy from 2013, which pushed forward with diversification of arms acquisitions away from america leading to an finish to F-16 purchases and acquisitions of French and Russian fighters. Though France, like america, has downgraded armaments offered to Egypt together with prevuing it from buying fashionable air to air missiles, Russia notably has not with the three MiG-29M squadrons acquired being higher outfitted than common squadrons within the Russian Air Pressure itself. Like neighbouring Israel, Egypt has since taken a lead in phasing older F-16 variants out of service, with solely 32 F-16A/B fashions regarded as in service – and the primary retired airframe an F-16B positioned in a museum in 2018. 175 newer F-16C/D fighters are at the moment in service, though whether or not and to what extent these could also be modernised stays unsure.
Republic of China Air Pressure: 200 F-16s (Roughly 135 in Service and 66 On Order)
The Republic of China (ROC) Air Pressure, the official title of the air arm of Taiwan’s armed forces, has by far the biggest variety of new F-16 orders of any service on the planet, and amongst economically developed American safety companions it was the final to undertake the F-16 buying its first plane within the late Nineteen Nineties. With China remaining technically in a state of civil battle, the Republic of China authorities in Taipei has a standing akin to that of a non-state actor, with its declare to rule over all Chinese language territory having negligible worldwide recognition and its authorities having no seat on the United Nations. This has been a number one consider Washington’s reluctance to controversially provide it with fighter plane. The ROC was the final consumer on the planet to obtain newly constructed F-16A/B Block 20 variants, which had lengthy since been outmoded by newer extra succesful fashions, partly on account of this controversy and the George H. W. Bush administration’s intention to take care of optimistic ties with the Chinese language mainland. The mainland by then fielded rather more succesful Su-27 fighters.
After receiving 140 older F-16s, which proved considerably extra succesful and dependable than the 60 French Mirage 2000 fighters acquired close to concurrently, subsequent efforts by Taipei to achieve approval from the George W. Bush and Barak Obama administrations to accumulate extra F-16s notably failed. Growth of the fleet lastly materialised in 2019 when an $8.2 billion contract was signed for the sale of 66 F-17 Block 70/72 plane – with this sale being vital to permitting america to take care of F-16 manufacturing at a time when different orders have been few and much between. The ROC is thus anticipated to subject the world’s third largest F-16 fleet, with delays to deliveries of the newer airframes that means that by the point they’re deployed the Egyptian fleet will probably have fallen to nicely beneath 200. Taipei has notable constantly failed to achieve permission to accumulate F-35s, which was a key issue main it to as a substitute purchase the F-16s. The excessive probability of defections to the Chinese language mainland, or else of delicate knowledge being handed on to Beijing by pro-mainland personnel on Taiwan, have been vital elements main Washington to approve gross sales of solely its lowest finish manufacturing fighter and never the F-35.
Israeli Air Pressure: 197 F-16s
Previously the main overseas operator of the F-16, Israel started to part its fighters out of service within the late 2010s changing older F-16A/B variants delivered within the late Seventies and early Eighties with F-35s. Israeli F-16s are among the many finest armed on the planet for air to floor roles, though their air to air and digital warfare capabilities that have been as soon as innovative have fallen more and more behind. Key elements have included continued reliance on mechanically scanned array radars and ensuing lack of entry to aggressive lengthy vary air to air missiles such because the AIM-120D. Certainly, even Israel’s two F-35 items are thought to nonetheless be reliant on the ageing AIM-120C. The spine of the Israeli F-16 fleet is shaped of 97 F-16I fighters – a closely modified spinoff of the F-16D Preventing Falcon with lots of the avionics and digital warfare methods beforehand developed for the indigenous Lavi assault jet earlier than it was cancelled ini 1987. The plane are closely oriented in the direction of air to floor roles, and use conformal gas tanks and dorsal avionics compartments to increase their ranges in addition to predominantly indigenous avionics together with computer systems, processors and interfaces produced by Elbit methods and communications methods produced by Rafael. The fighter’s Elisra digital warfare suite consists of radar warning receivers, missiles method warners and jamming methods. Roughly 100 baseline F-16s roughly evenly break up between F-16C and F-16D variants are additionally in service, however have been used a lot much less steadily in army operations. Israel is thus certainly one of only a few F-16 operators that depends on twin seat airframes to type the big majority of its fleet.
Israel was the primary overseas consumer for the F-16, and famously used the plane to take out the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981 shortly after the plane entered service. The overthrow of the Iranian authorities in 1979, which had positioned large orders for F-16s as by far the category’ main consumer, allowed extra of manufacturing to be diverted to Israel and thus allowed the category to enter service extra rapidly. Israel had lengthy sought to license produce F-16s as Turkey and South Korea did, with the intention of buying 50 full plane from america earlier than producing an extra 150-200. By some estimates, Israel within the late Seventies deliberate to subject 450 F-16s alongside 60 F-15s and 80 Kfir assault jets, though a scarcity of permission for license manufacturing meant this by no means materialised. Apart from political reservations, the F-16’s producer Common Dynamics was reportedly involved that Israel would reverse engineer the fighter because it had executed with the French Mirage III, on which the Kfir had been primarily based, to supply its personal model for export. Whereas the F-16 varieties the spine of the Israeli fleet in the present day, the fighter’s diminishing standing within the Center East, and points with the F-35 which can be too expensive for big scale purchases, has compelled Israel to rely more and more closely on indigenous drone designs and on growing more and more superior air to floor missiles to compensate for the rising different limitations its fighters face.
Republic of Korea Air Pressure: 161 F-16s
South Korea started to deploy F-16s within the Eighties, which on the time offered a cushty efficiency edge over the MiG-21s of neighbouring North Korea and revolutionised the fleet’s capabilities. With 161 F-16s in service, the plane have been produced in South Korea underneath license with vital native know-how inputs – ensuing within the plane being regionally designated ‘KF-16s.’ The plane have just lately been modernised to the F-16U normal, a Korean model of the internationally provided F-16V improve package deal, which has seen the plane combine fifth technology stage avionics together with a brand new mission pc, solely new cockpit shows and a brand new digital warfare suite, in addition to most importantly an AN/APG-83 lively electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. This makes South Korean F-16s among the many most succesful on the planet. In contrast to different main F-16 operators, the Republic of Korea Air Pressure just isn’t anticipated to part its F-16s out of service for the foreseeable future, as its significantly massive fighter fleet nonetheless flies many third technology fighters together with an F-5 fleet extra quite a few than the F-16s. F-35 acquisitions by South Korea have thus been used to part Vietnam Battle period F-4E fighters out of service, whereas the F-16s are anticipated to start being phased out solely within the 2030s when changed by indigenous KF-21 stealth fighters. As probably probably the most succesful NATO-compatible army apart from america, South Korea is guaranteeing its F-16s stay on the innovative with the F-16U improve package deal, with enhanced F-16s gaining publicity when deployed to Australia to take part in Train Pitch Black 2022 in August that yr.
