F-16
More than 50 years after its first flight, still one of the most widely flown fighters in the world.
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ROLE
Multirole fighter; the F-16CM Wild Weasel hunts enemy air defense radars.
STRENGTHS
- Mature, cheap to fly and widely available
- Specialized sensors (HTS pod) and HARM missiles for radar hunting
- Huge pool of trained crews and spare parts
WEAKNESSES
- Not stealthy
- Older airframes with limited growth
- Needs support from stealth jets in the densest defenses
The F-16 first flew in 1974 and remains one of the most widely operated fighters in the world, with about 3,000 jets in 25 countries. A single engine, about 7,000 lb of internal fuel and a long list of integrated weapons keep it relevant next to far newer aircraft.
Over Iran, in Operation Epic Fury, older jets like the F-16 take on jobs where, in our analysis, stealth matters less than payload, availability and cost per flight hour. The paired video explains which jobs those are.