AIRCRAFT PROGRAM

Single turbofan jet engine, supersonic multirole fighter aircraft.

Designed for maximum manoeuvrability in air combat. Light weight airframe constructed from 80% aluminium alloys, 8% steel, 3% composites, and 1.5% titanium. Aluminium alloy, cropped delta wings are blended into fuselage with conformal fuel tanks maximising fuel capacity contributing to long range of aircraft. Stabilators, two ventral fins beneath the fuselage and leading edge flaps are aluminium honeycomb with graphite epoxy laminate. F-16 was the first aircraft to use fly-by-wire control system.

One or two seat cockpit with frameless, polycarbonate bubble canopy provides pilot(s) with 360 degree view. Pilot is seated in a 30 degree reclined Martin Baker ejection seat for reduced effect of g-force with side mounted control stick and Boeing joint helmet-mounted cueing system (JHMCS), facing a Centre Pedestal Display (CPD) with a high resolution 6” x 8” screen for enhanced tactical imagery and digital display of flight instrument data. Nose radome fitted with Northrop Grumman advanced APG-83 AESA radar. Situational awareness is further enhanced with Legion-ES IRST21 (Infrared Search and Track) sensor suite and Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP).

Type variants

Variant	Launch/First flight	Production end
Lockheed Martin F-16A/B	1973 / 1974	1985	Initial single-seat/two-seat variants.
Lockheed Martin F-16C/D	1984 / 1984		Upgraded single-seat/two-seat variants.
Lockheed Martin F-16E/F	1999 / 2003		Further enhanced single-seat/two-seat variant with more powerful engine.
Lockheed Martin F-16I	2001 / 2003		Two-seater variant for Israel, with Israeli avionics.
Lockheed Martin F-16V Viper	2013 / 2015		Upgraded avionics variant.
Lockheed Martin F-21	2019 /		Indian Air Force Variant.
Lockheed Martin X-62A VISTA	2021 / 2021		Modified F-16D Block 30 Peace Marble II aircraft upgraded with Block 40 avionics, one-of-a-kind training aircraft.
Lockheed Martin VENOM-AFT	2025 /		Viper Experimentation and Next-gen Operations Model – Autonomy Flying Testbed (VENOM-AFT) USAF program, autonomous development of F-16, also to inform Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.

Recent news

• 28/05/2026:  NEWS:  Hermeus pushes Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 beyond Mach 1
• 14/05/2026:  Press Release:  Israel MOD signs contract with Elbit Systems for extended range capability for the F-35 "Adir" fighter jet
• 05/05/2026:  Press Release:  GE Aerospace and Turkish Aerospace announce agreement for F404 engines for the Hürjet program
• 07/04/2026:  Press Release:  Hermeus reaches $1 billion valuation with $350 million raise to build today's fastest aircraft for the American warfighter
• 26/03/2026:  Press Release:  Shield AI to acquire software simulation company Aechelon and raise $2B at $12.7B valuation

View full news archive for the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon.

See recent updates (latest 16/06/2026)