General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon operators


The F-16 Fighting Falcon was manufactured from General Dynamics from 1974 to 1993, Lockheed Corporation from 1993 to 1995, and since 1995, it has been manufactured by Lockheed Martin. The United States Air Force, four of its NATO partners, and the Pakistan Air Force, a major non-NATO US ally, are the primary operators of the aircraft. With the evolution of sales under Foreign Military Sales contracts, many other air forces have also acquired and use F-16s.
Many air forces seek to replace aging inventories with F-16s. Because the USAF has steadily upgraded its F-16 inventory, it will sometimes sell older aircraft it considers obsolete as military surplus Excess Defense Articles or as knock-down kits to supplement spare parts.

United States operators

Several commands of the United States Air Force as well as the United States Navy and National Aeronautics and Space Administration use various models of the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

United States Air Force

In 2007 the USAF operated 1,245 F-16s with 701 with active forces, 490 with Air National Guard and 54 with Reserve. These were broken down to 1 F-16A Block 15, 197 F-16C/D Block 25, 350 F-16C/D Block 30, 51 F-16C/D Block 32, 222 F-16C/D Block 40, 174 F-16C/D Block 42, 198 F-16C/D Block 50, 52 F-16C/D Block 52. The USAF service branch has received a total of 2,231 F-16s to its arsenal. As of 2023, the USAF operates a total of 841 F-16s of different variants.

Air Combat Command

is the descendant of the merger of the Tactical Air Command and Strategic Air Command. ACC is the primary combat aircraft operator of the United States Air Force. Originally, all new F-16s would be delivered to TAC or ACC and then transferred to other commands, but now aircraft are often delivered directly to the other commands.
The Air Education and Training Command provides for most of the US Air Force's F-16 training facilities and operations. The command also provides for training of foreign air forces operating the F-16, with two squadrons providing training for Singapore and Taiwan.
The descendant of the merger of the Air Force Systems Command and the Air Force Logistics Command, Air Force Materiel Command is responsible for providing, testing, and maintaining US Air Force equipment. As such, it plays a large part in the F-16 program, both in testing the aircraft and its weapon systems. It utilizes the F-16 for numerous tests for weapons equipping many US Air Force aircraft. Additionally, it operates overhaul programs to maintain the F-16 fleet of not only the US Air Force, but several foreign air forces as well.
The delivery of the F-16 to the Air Force Reserve Command marked the first aircraft type to be delivered new, changing the long policy of merely passing older airframes on from the active forces to the Air Force Reserve. AFRC currently operates Block 25, 30, and 32 aircraft.
As with the Air Force Reserve, the F-16 marked the transition of the Air National Guard to a viable fighting force complementary to active-duty units, as opposed to the second-line force of out-of-date aircraft it had been. The F-16 remains a key part of the ANG force structure.
was an early recipient of the F-16 and PACAF operates the latest models of the F-16 today.
Once PACAF began receiving its F-16s, United States Air Forces in Europe became a recipient of the F-16. USAFE F-16s have been active in most recent US military operations in Europe and the Middle East.
While the United States Navy chose the competing McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet for development as a carrier-based strike fighter, the service still had a need for an aggressor aircraft to supplement the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk and Northrop F-5E Tiger II aircraft posing as enemy fighters to help train Navy pilots in dissimilar air combat training. The lightweight F-16 was ideal for the job, and the F-16N version was specifically developed for the task. With removal of the internal cannon, the F-16N and two-seat TF-16N served for a number of years before retirement. The F-16 was reintroduced to the aggressor role for the US Navy with the acquisition of some of the Pakistani F-16A/B-15OCU aircraft embargoed before delivery to that country and they remain in use today at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at NAS Fallon, Nevada. The US Navy operates 40 F-16s.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Though not a military force, NASA plays a vital role in research and development of aerospace technology. Its fleet contains two exotic F-16 models, the F-16XL and F-16A AFTI, both involved in researching advanced technologies for application to not only the F-16, but other aircraft as well. Additionally, a number of standard F-16s have been operated by NASA as chase aircraft and engine testbeds.

Original NATO partners

Once selected by the United States, it was further decided to form a partnership between the United States Air Force, then beginning development of the plane for service, and nations of the NATO alliance who had a similar need for a lightweight fighter. Four such nations chose to join the development effort, becoming involved in production and sub-contracting work. The four European partners, collectively known as the European Participating Governments, are Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway; their air forces are likewise referred to as the European Participating Air Forces.

Belgium

was the largest initial buyer of the F-16 of the four original NATO partners. Its aeronautical company, SABCA, was a primary producer of the aircraft as part of the partnership. Belgium's initial order included 116 F-16A/B aircraft in blocks 1, 5, 10, and 15. Delivery began in 1979, and was completed in 1985. A follow-on order for 44 F-16A/B-15OCU aircraft was completed in 1991. Most of the Danish F-16s were also manufactured in Belgium. Many of the Belgian and Danish F-16s received the MLU update at SABCA.

Denmark

was the smallest member of the NATO partnership, with the Royal Danish Air Force accepting 58 F-16A/B aircraft under Denmark's initial order on January 28, 1980. A small follow-on order brought a further twelve aircraft to Denmark, and two further attrition replacement orders were later placed, resulting in a total of 62 F-16AM and 16 F-16BM that entered Danish service.

Netherlands

The Netherlands, like Belgium, made substantial orders for the F-16, and built aircraft at the Fokker plant. Deliveries started in 1979 and ended in 1992. A total of 102 aircraft were initially ordered, which was followed by subsequent orders of a further 111 aircraft. Fifty-two of these were F-16A/B-15OCU aircraft. These orders brought the total Dutch F-16A/B deliveries to 213. 108 of these aircraft received the Mid-Life-Update.