Unveiling the F-16 Fighting Falcon: The Legendary Jet’s History, Secrets, and Showdown with Modern Fighters
The F-16 began as General Dynamics’ YF-16 in the USAF’s Lightweight Fighter program, with the prototype’s maiden flight in 1974 and the first operational F-16A delivered in 1979. It introduced relaxed static stability and fly-by-wire controls, enabling exceptional agility and the ability to sustain 9 g turns. The cockpit features a frameless bubble canopy for 360-degree visibility and a 30-degree-reclined ejection seat to improve high-G tolerance. More than 4,600 F-16s have been built since 1976, and as of 2025 about 2,084 remain operational across 25 nations. An international NATO consortium—Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway—co-produced early F-16s, assembling 348 jets