The last order for F16 fighter jets from the US Air Force dates back more than 20 years. However, the little gem of the "Fighter Mafia" designed in the early 70s, which remains one of the most widely produced fighter planes in the world, with almost 4500 examples, behind the 13.000+ Mig21 and the 5000+ Mig 23 / 27, continues to represent the armed fist of the US Air Force and the majority of allied air forces in the United States, almost 50 years after its first flight. And it may well be that it will continue to equip the Western air forces for a long time, since, according to Aviation's week website, the US Air Force would seriously consider acquiring new copies.
It must be said that the General Dynamics single-engine fighter, which was bought in 1993 by Lockheed-Martin, does not lack arguments to convince, and that it remains, despite its canonical age, one of the aircraft models of fight most exported in recent years, especially in its latest version Block 70/72 Viper. Originally designed as a light hunter intended to gain the upper hand over all its existing adversaries, the F16V retains exceptional maneuverability, yielding today to only a few rare aircraft such as the Mirage 2000 from Dassault Aviation, and remains, by far, the most agile from the American arsenal. In addition, its avionics have been considerably modernized, and like the Rafale, Typhoon or Gripen, and the gap which separated the F16 from “5th generation” devices like the F22 and the F35 has gradually narrowed.
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