F-35 vs F-22 vs F-16: The Ultimate 2025 Fighter Jet Showdown

Three of the most renowned fighter jets in the world – the F-35 Lightning II, F-22 Raptor, and F-16 Fighting Falcon – represent the cutting edge (and legacy) of U.S. airpower across different generations. How do these aircraft stack up in stealth, avionics, speed, agility, and firepower? What do they cost to buy and operate, and who uses them? In this report, we’ll compare each jet’s capabilities and roles, examine their global operators and combat records, and highlight the latest developments as of 2025. We’ll also include expert insights and quotes from defense analysts and pilots, and consider the advantages and disadvantages of each fighter for various mission profiles. Finally, we’ll look to the future: upcoming sixth-generation programs and international projects that promise to reshape the skies in the coming decades.

F-35 Lightning II: Stealth Multirole Powerhouse

Capabilities: The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a 5th-generation multirole stealth fighter designed to excel in both air-to-air combat and air-to-ground attack. It features all-aspect low-observable stealth technology, with a radar cross-section said to be extremely small (comparable to the size of a marble) aerotime.aero. In practice, this means enemy radars struggle to detect or track an F-35 until it’s very close. The F-35’s sensor suite and avionics are state-of-the-art, often cited as its greatest strength. It carries an AESA radar (APG-81), distributed infrared sensors (EO-DAS), and a sensor fusion computer that presents the pilot with a unified, 360-degree view of the battlespace. A former F-16 pilot turned F-35 tester described transitioning to the F-35 as akin to going from an old pickup truck to a modern Tesla – the jet provides enormous amounts of information to the pilot in a way legacy fighters never could businessinsider.com businessinsider.com. This “system of systems” approach lets the F-35 act as a flying sensor node, sharing targeting data with other aircraft and ground units in real time. In fact, pilots often call it the “quarterback” of the skies for its ability to orchestrate battles. The F-35 is no slouch in performance either: its single F135 engine delivers 40,000 lbs of thrust, pushing the jet to about Mach 1.6 at top speed defenseone.com. While it’s not as fast or agile in a dogfight as the twin-engine F-22, it can still pull 9 g’s and execute high-angle-of-attack maneuvers. Crucially, the F-35 can carry weapons internally (up to 4–6 missiles or bombs) to maintain stealth in high-threat environments, or mount a larger arsenal externally when stealth is not needed.

Combat Radius and Payload: With internal fuel of over 18,000 lbs, the F-35A has a combat radius around 670 nautical miles defenseone.com (hi-lo-hi profile), significantly greater than older fighters like the F-16. This allows it to strike deep targets without refueling. It can carry 2× 2000 lb bombs (or 8× smaller bombs) plus 2–4 air-to-air missiles internally in stealth mode nationalinterest.org. In “beast mode” (external hardpoints loaded), it can haul a much larger payload (up to ~18,000 lbs of ordnance), including precision-guided bombs, stand-off cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, and more. The F-35’s mission flexibility is unmatched – in a single sortie it can act as a stealthy infiltrator, a bomb truck, an ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) platform, and a networked command node. It’s also the only fighter of the three with multiple variants: the F-35A (conventional takeoff) for the Air Force, F-35B (STOVL) for the Marines (short takeoff/vertical landing), and F-35C (carrier variant) for the Navy, making it adaptable to Air Force bases, small amphibious carriers, and large CATOBAR carriers alike.

Cost & Maintenance: The F-35 program had a famously expensive development, but unit prices have been coming down in recent years. A current F-35A costs roughly $80 million flyaway aerotime.aero aerotime.aero (around $90–$100M including engine and extras, varying by lot). The more complex B and C models cost a bit over $100M each aerotime.aero aerotime.aero. By 2024, Lockheed Martin had delivered the 1,000th F-35 and was producing ~150 jets per year airandspaceforces.com, benefiting from economies of scale. Operating costs, however, remain high: about $33,000 per flight hour for the F-35A nationalinterest.org. This is cheaper than the F-22 (which exceeds $85,000/hour) but several times more than an F-16 nationalinterest.org. The F-35’s maintenance burden is significant – its advanced avionics and stealth coating require intensive support. The jet’s mission capable rates have historically been around 50–70%, and while improving, the Pentagon still views sustainment costs as an issue. (Lockheed is working to simplify maintenance; for example, the F-35’s newer radar-absorbent skin is more durable than the F-22’s, contributing to lower hourly costs than the Raptor 19fortyfive.com.) Overall, the F-35 is more affordable to fly and upgrade than the F-22, but not as cheap or simple as the F-16.

Global Operators: One big advantage of the F-35 is its international adoption. It is the centerpiece of a multinational program with 20 countries involved (the U.S. and 19 allies) f35.com. U.S. services (USAF, USN, USMC) are the largest operators, planning a combined 2,400+ F-35s. Allies including the UK, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Poland, Belgium, and others have ordered the jet, making it the most widely deployed 5th-generation fighter. Over 1,215 F-35s have been delivered globally as of early 2025 f35.com, and the fleet surpassed 1 million flight hours in 2025 f35.com. Notably, even traditionally neutral or non-aligned countries (Finland, Switzerland) chose the F-35 for their next fighter, citing its capability and interoperability. This broad user community creates a global support network. By contrast, its older cousin the F-22 was never exported – in fact, U.S. law explicitly banned F-22 foreign sales to protect its secrets ts2.tech. The F-35, with carefully managed tech security, was designed with export in mind. The Joint Strike Fighter program spread development cost among partner nations and ensured the F-35 will be a common front-line fighter for NATO and allied air forces for decades. Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program manager summed it up: “The F-35 is the choice for America and 19 allied nations, strengthening global security and deterring threats around the world.” f35.com The jet’s widespread adoption also means interoperability – e.g. allied F-35s can train and fight together, and share data via the Multifunction Advanced Datalink that stealthily connects F-35 packages.

Deployments and Effectiveness: The F-35 has matured rapidly in service. The USAF declared the F-35A combat-ready (IOC) in 2016, and since then it has seen combat in the Middle East. In April 2019, USAF F-35As conducted their first combat strikes in Operation Inherent Resolve, bombing ISIS targets airandspaceforces.com. Earlier that year, Israel had already become the first to use the F-35 in combat, reportedly striking Iranian-supplied targets in Syria with their F-35I “Adir.” These jets’ ability to penetrate advanced air defenses proved valuable. Beyond kinetic action, the F-35 has excelled in exercises: In Red Flag war games, F-35s acting as stealthy sensors and shooters achieved kill ratios as high as 20:1 against aggressor aircraft lexingtoninstitute.org. Pilots praise its situational awareness—“I’ve never seen anything like it,” one squadron commander said after Red Flag, noting the F-35 allowed him to see and engage enemies long before they could target him. That said, the F-35 has had growing pains: software glitches, challenges with its ALIS maintenance system (now replaced by ODIN), and engine wear issues. But continuous upgrades are addressing these. The jet’s Block 3F software is fully combat capable, and now a major Block 4 modernization is underway (adding an improved APG-85 radar, new Distributed Aperture System cameras, the ability to carry Maritime Strike weapons and the B61-12 nuclear bomb, improved electronic warfare, and more) airandspaceforces.com. Block 4, though delayed, is slated to start delivery in mid-2025 airandspaceforces.com airandspaceforces.com. In short, the F-35 by 2025 has evolved into a highly effective frontline fighter. It’s not invincible – in a dogfight a skilled F-16 or Rafale might still give it trouble if they get within visual range. But the F-35 is designed so that opponents never get that close. Its combination of stealth and networked sensors allows it to “see first, shoot first”, a decisive advantage in modern air combat.

Latest News (2025): The F-35 program in 2025 is at a pivot point. Lockheed Martin is ramping up production under new multiyear contracts, and in March 2024 the jet was finally approved for full-rate production airandspaceforces.com. However, rising material costs and inflation have put pressure on keeping unit prices down aerotime.aero. A Lot 18 contract (2024) for 145 F-35s came in around $11.8B (not including engines) airandspaceforces.com airandspaceforces.com, with an average unit cost roughly in the high $70-millions for an F-35A (the engine adds about $15M) airandspaceforces.com. Notably, as of 2025 the program crossed 1 million flight hours and continues to expand. On the development front, Tech Refresh 3 (TR-3) – a critical hardware/software upgrade enabling Block 4 – faced delays and cost overruns, being over $1 billion above estimates and roughly 3 years late defenseone.com. By early 2025, Lockheed said TR-3 was ~98% complete but still not fielded defenseone.com. This has caused a backlog of new jets waiting for upgraded computers. Despite this, Lockheed’s leadership is optimistic. After the U.S. Air Force chose Boeing’s design for its next-gen fighter (NGAD) over Lockheed’s, Lockheed announced plans to “supercharge” the F-35 by injecting sixth-gen technology from its failed NGAD bid defenseone.com defenseone.com. CEO Jim Taiclet challenged his team to deliver “80% of sixth-gen capability at 50% of the cost” by enhancing the F-35 to a “fifth-generation-plus” fighter defenseone.com defenseone.com. He even described the goal as turning the F-35 into a “Ferrari” with better stealth, longer-range sensors, and new weapons defenseone.com. This forward-looking upgrade path – sometimes dubbed “F-35 Block 4/5” or even informally “F-50” – suggests the F-35 will not remain static. It will likely incorporate features like improved engines (the Pentagon decided in 2023 to pursue an Engine Core Upgrade of the F135 rather than a brand-new adaptive engine airandspaceforces.com), and potentially capabilities like drone control (teaming with loyal wingmen). By mid-2025, the F-35 program remains robust. U.S. Defense officials have floated minor cuts to F-35 procurement in favor of other priorities, but strong international orders are keeping production at ~156 jets/year defenseone.com defenseone.com. In summary, the F-35 has become the benchmark for modern fighters – widely used, frequently upgraded, and likely to dominate Western air fleets well into the 2030s.

Expert Quote: “So, while the F-22 may be superior in air superiority, the F-35 is a much more versatile and affordable jet,” notes one analysis nationalinterest.org. This captures the F-35’s essence: versatility. It may not out-dogfight a Raptor, but it can perform a broad set of missions and adapt to future needs (via modular upgrades to its avionics and even its helmet display) nationalinterest.org. As F-35 test pilot Monessa “Siren” Balzhiser put it, “The F-35 – we’re continuing to develop it… maintaining the advantage to ensure we can come home safe.” businessinsider.com That ongoing evolution and multirole capability make the Lightning II a true workhorse of 21st-century air combat.

F-22 Raptor: Elite Air-Dominance Fighter

Capabilities: The F-22 Raptor, built by Lockheed Martin and Boeing, is the world’s first operational 5th-generation fighter and remains the gold standard for air superiority. Designed purely for air dominance, the twin-engine F-22 introduced unprecedented capabilities when it entered service in 2005. It boasts stealth performance even superior to the F-35’s, especially optimized for head-on radar evasion (the F-22’s radar cross-section is often described as “the smallest of any fighter in history” 19fortyfive.com 19fortyfive.com). Its airframe shape and coating achieve “stealth+” per the USAF – slightly better signature reduction than the F-35’s “stealth” rating defenseone.com. The Raptor’s flight performance is extraordinary: powered by two Pratt & Whitney F119 engines with thrust vectoring nozzles, it can supercruise at Mach 1.8 (fly supersonic without afterburner) aerotime.aero and has a top speed around Mach 2.25+ aerotime.aero. It climbs fast, flies high (ceiling ~65,000 ft), and thanks to thrust vectoring and excellent aerodynamics, it is supermaneuverable – capable of extremely tight loops, high angle-of-attack maneuvers, and rapid turns that would confound most fighters. Pilots have called it “an F-15 on steroids, with invisibility to boot.” In dogfight training, the F-22 demonstrated it can out-turn and out-climb any 4th-gen opponent, often scoring kills before it’s even spotted. The Raptor carries a formidable loadout internally: 6 radar-guided AIM-120 AMRAAMs and 2 AIM-9 Sidewinders for air-to-air, plus it has an internal 20mm cannon. For air-to-ground, it can internally carry 2× 1,000 lb JDAM bombs (or up to 8 small diameter bombs), but notably no targeting pod was integrated (the F-22 relies on GPS coordinates or third-party designation for JDAMs). In practice, the F-22’s ground attack capability is modest – it was intended as a pure fighter. Its avionics, while advanced for its time (early 2000s), are somewhat dated compared to the F-35. The F-22 has a powerful AN/APG-77 AESA radar and a good (if older) electronic warfare suite. However, it originally lacked some features like an infrared search and track (IRST) and could not share data via standard Link-16 in stealth mode (to maintain emissions control). Upgrades have added a Link-16 receive-only capability and better datalinks to communicate with F-35s and command networks. In 2025, a big modernization push is underway (more on that shortly) to keep the Raptor’s sensors and electronics up to date. Nonetheless, even two decades after its first flight, the F-22’s core strengths – stealth, speed, and agility – are still unrivaled. A veteran fighter pilot succinctly said: “The F-22 is likely the premier air superiority fighter in the world.” nationalinterest.org

Role and Mission Flexibility: The F-22 was conceived during the Cold War to achieve air dominance against advanced foes (like late-generation Soviet fighters and SAMs). In that role, it has no equal. In mock combat, Raptors have racked up lopsided kill ratios (unofficial reports like 144:0 in one Red Flag exercise became legend). It’s designed to hit enemy aircraft before being detected, using high speed and altitude to launch AMRAAMs from advantageous positions. If fights merge to within visual range, the F-22’s thrust vectoring and high off-boresight missiles make it lethal in a dogfight as well. While primarily an air-to-air killer, the F-22 can perform some secondary missions. It has proven capable of electronic warfare support and signals intelligence gathering with its sensors aerotime.aero. It also can drop precision bombs (JDAMs) on fixed targets – the Raptor dropped some in Syria in its 2014 combat debut – but this is a tertiary capability. The jet was never outfitted to carry a wide array of strike weapons or nukes, and it lacks the extensive ground-attack integration of the F-35. Thus, in terms of mission flexibility, the F-22 is the most specialized of the trio: an air superiority thoroughbred. It’s less suited to roles like close air support or strike on dynamic targets (tasks where the F-16 and F-35 have more experience). The Raptor can however escort strike packages, sweep the skies, and even act as an “electric quarterback” itself – its powerful radar can feed target data to other fighters (though with less sophisticated sensor fusion than the F-35). Notably, the F-22 is also a capable interceptor for high-altitude threats; it’s the jet the USAF scrambles to intercept foreign spy planes or unknown objects at high altitude, as seen in 2023 when an F-22 shot down a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the U.S. coast (the Raptor’s first air-to-air “kill”). In summary, the F-22’s job is to achieve air dominance and deny the sky to opponents – and it’s exceedingly good at that, but it was not designed for multi-role flexibility.

Cost & Production Volume: The F-22 is an incredible machine, but that comes at high cost. It was the most expensive fighter ever built at the time of production. The flyaway unit cost of an F-22 was about $143 million (in 2000s dollars) per the USAF aerotime.aero aerotime.aero. When total program costs are amortized, each Raptor effectively cost ~$334 million including R&D aerotime.aero. This immense price tag, along with a changing post-Cold War security environment, led to the F-22 program being cut short. Only 195 F-22s were built (187 operational + test units) aerotime.aero, and production ended in 2011. This is a tiny fleet by fighter standards. By comparison, over 4,600 F-16s have been built, and the F-35 is heading toward thousands. The limited production means the F-22 is almost a boutique capability – ultra-powerful but few in number. It also means no export sales were needed or allowed; in fact, as mentioned, a 1998 U.S. federal law forbids selling the F-22 abroad ts2.tech. The rationale was to keep its stealth technology absolutely secret (and some components, like special sensors and coatings, are reportedly so classified that allied pilots weren’t even allowed to touch a Raptor for years). Operationally, maintaining the small F-22 fleet is very expensive. Its stealth skin, while effective, was labor-intensive to maintain (early on, Raptors needed many hours of maintenance per flight hour, though this has improved somewhat). As of 2024, the Raptor’s cost per flight hour was around $85,000 – roughly 2.5× the F-35’s cost and 4× that of an F-16 nationalinterest.org. This high operating cost, combined with an aging airframe (the Raptors are 15–20 years old now), is one reason the Air Force plans to start retiring F-22s in the 2030s as next-gen fighters come online airandspaceforces.com airandspaceforces.com. In terms of maintenance, the F-22 has seen improvements: for instance, Pratt & Whitney developed new software and data analytics (Usage-Based Lifing) for the F119 engines to extend their life and reduce unnecessary overhauls airandspaceforces.com airandspaceforces.com, potentially saving hundreds of millions and boosting readiness. The Air Force has also invested in better sustainment practices for the Raptor, but its availability rate still hovered around 50% for much of the last decade. With a fleet of around 183 combat-coded F-22s in 2025 ts2.tech airandspaceforces.com, every jet matters – so keeping them mission-capable is a priority but also a challenge.

Global Operators: The F-22 is unique here – it has only one operator: the United States (specifically the U.S. Air Force). No other country has flown the Raptor. Many U.S. allies would have loved to purchase F-22s (Japan in particular lobbied for it as a replacement for F-15Js). All requests were rebuffed by the export ban law ts2.tech. Instead, allies ended up later joining the F-35 program. So the Raptor is a purely American ace card. Within the U.S., it’s only used by the USAF in frontline fighter squadrons (the Navy and Marines don’t have any, unlike the F-35 which is shared among services). F-22 squadrons are based in places like Virginia (Langley), Alaska (Elmendorf), Hawaii, and Florida, plus rotating deployments. American Raptor units often deploy abroad to reassure allies – e.g. periodic deployments to Japan and Guam to deter China, or to Europe for NATO exercises. In 2022–2023, F-22s were even sent to the Middle East on short notice as a deterrent when Iran made threats, because their speed and stealth allowed quick response to drone and missile threats in the region ts2.tech ts2.tech. The small number and exclusivity of the F-22 fleet means that if you see a Raptor in the sky, it’s invariably flown by a USAF pilot with likely no more than ~2–3 other jets as wingmen.

Deployments and Combat Record: For an aircraft built to win a hypothetical war against advanced adversaries, the F-22 saw a somewhat unglamorous start to its combat career. With no peer dogfights to fight, it was first used for bombing ISIS targets in Syria in 2014 – dropping JDAMs on an enemy without an air force. The Raptor performed flawlessly, but this was a far cry from the high-end air combat it was designed for. In subsequent years, F-22s deployed to the Persian Gulf region primarily for deterrence and patrols. They have escorted coalition strike packages and reportedly shot down enemy drones that posed threats ts2.tech. One F-22 pilot recounted that over Syria and Iraq, Raptors ended up doing a lot of “drone hunting,” using their advanced radar to pick out and destroy small UAVs ts2.tech. In 2023, F-22s based in the Middle East downed several Iranian-made drones that approached U.S. assets ts2.tech. The F-22’s radar (AN/APG-77) proved adept at detecting even small, slow targets like UAVs ts2.tech, though it was a novel mission for pilots more trained to engage fighter jets. The Raptor has also been active in homeland defense: in early 2023, F-22s famously shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon off the U.S. East Coast with an AIM-9X missile – the first ever air-to-air kill in the service life of the F-22, albeit an unconventional one. F-22s regularly sit alert in places like Alaska and Florida for NORAD, ready to intercept unknown aircraft. They have intercepted Russian Tu-95 bombers and Su-35 fighters near Alaska multiple times in the past few years ts2.tech. These encounters have been professional, but they underscore that the Raptor is America’s go-to aircraft to meet top-tier foreign fighters head-on if ever required. In NATO exercises in Europe, F-22s have deployed as a show of force, often impressing allied air forces with their capabilities. European Typhoon and Rafale pilots who’ve trained with (or against) Raptors consistently note its dominance in the airspace. One British pilot quipped that fighting an F-22 is like “boxing with shadows” – you just don’t see it until you’re already “dead.” On the effectiveness side, the F-22’s only limitation is its small numbers and maintenance downtime. There have been instances where only a portion of a deployed squadron was mission-ready due to parts shortages or maintenance issues. But when Raptors fly, they are extraordinarily effective. They’ve maintained 100% air superiority in every exercise, and even though new threats are emerging (like advanced Russian S-400 SAMs and Chinese J-20 fighters), the USAF has continued to invest in keeping the Raptor lethal. For example, in 2020s the Air Force started fielding the new AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM) – a long-range air-to-air missile developed specifically to counter long-range missiles like China’s PL-15 ts2.tech airandspaceforces.com. The F-22 is slated to be one of the first jets to carry AIM-260, restoring an overreach advantage. Additionally, stealthy drop tanks are being developed to extend the F-22’s range (since its internal fuel provides a combat radius of ~590 nm defenseone.com, good but not sufficient for vast Pacific distances). New IRST sensors are being integrated (in 2025 a contract was given to add an Infrared Search and Track system called IRDS) ts2.tech, which will give F-22 a passive way to spot stealthy foes via heat signatures (similar to the F-35’s 360° IR system) ts2.tech. These improvements indicate the F-22, while originally a 1990s design, is adapting to 2025 and beyond threats. In fact, 2025 has been dubbed the Raptor’s “modernization moment” – a slew of upgrades were funded to ensure the F-22 stays dominant into the 2030s ts2.tech. Pratt & Whitney got a $1.5B contract in 2025 to sustain and upgrade F119 engines (improving thrust and reliability) ts2.tech, and other enhancements (like better mission computers and potentially a helmet-mounted cueing system) are on the horizon airandspaceforces.com airandspaceforces.com. The Air Force appears committed to keeping the Raptor lethal until a true 6th-gen replacement (NGAD) can take over around 2030.

Latest News (2025): As of mid-2025, no F-22s have been retired yet (despite earlier plans to start phasing them out) reddit.com. The fleet stands at roughly 185 aircraft in total, with about 153 combat-coded after a few older test jets were set aside reddit.com. The Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program is intended to replace the F-22 eventually, but NGAD’s high cost and technical risk have caused the USAF to delay F-22 retirement plans airandspaceforces.com. Instead, the Raptor is getting a “full slate” of upgrades to keep it viable. In addition to the AIM-260 missiles and IR sensors mentioned, the F-22 is testing new stealth coatings and radar absorbent materials that are more resilient, reducing maintenance downtime 19fortyfive.com 19fortyfive.com. There is also development of low-drag, stealthy external fuel tanks which can be jettisoned – these would extend range for deployments (critical for Pacific scenarios) and still allow the jet to regain stealth before entering combat airandspaceforces.com. Moreover, the F-22 is integrating improved communication links to work alongside drones (like the coming “Collaborative Combat Aircraft”) and F-35s. A notable 2025 incident underscored ongoing logistical challenges: in July, a KC-46 tanker refueling F-22s had its boom break off mid-air – a rare mishap that fortunately caused no damage to the Raptor ts2.tech ts2.tech. It highlighted the reliance on robust aerial refueling for global F-22 ops, and the need for reliable tankers. On a strategic level, the Raptor continues to be a frontline deterrent. In spring 2025, during a flare-up of tensions with Iran, multiple F-22s from Langley deployed to the Middle East within days, reinforcing CENTCOM’s posture ts2.tech ts2.tech. They even participated in a large-scale exercise (simulated strikes) in the region, marking perhaps the closest the F-22 has come to a peer conflict scenario in a state-on-state context (one report described a notional strike on Iranian air defenses where F-22s escorted B-2 bombers) ts2.tech ts2.tech. While details remain mostly exercise-based, it proved the F-22’s worth as a 20-year-old jet that is still indispensable. Indeed, Air Force officials often emphasize that no other fighter – Russian, Chinese, or allied – currently in service can match the Raptor in a pure air-to-air fight nationalinterest.org. “A more modern F-22 will need additional mission capacity,” said Caroline Cooper, the F-22 program director at Pratt & Whitney, underscoring the effort to integrate new capabilities to keep the Raptor lethal amid rising great-power threats ts2.tech ts2.tech. This quote references the ongoing mods like IR sensors and engine upgrades meant to counter evolving adversaries. In essence, the F-22 in 2025 is at once a legend of air combat and a bridge to the future – guarding the skies today while the Air Force prepares its replacement for tomorrow.

Expert Quote: Defense writer Harrison Kass notes, “The F-22 achieves its premier status through hyper-maneuverability and integrated avionics… [it] enjoys better maneuverability, speed, rate of climb, and service ceiling relative to the F-35, lending a distinct air superiority advantage.” nationalinterest.org Another observer put it more bluntly: “The F-22 Raptor is an incredible jet… but is one Raptor really better than three F-35As?” 19fortyfive.com – highlighting the cost issue. Indeed, in 2017 the USAF studied restarting F-22 production and found it would cost an eye-watering $50+ billion for 194 more jets (over $265M per jet in 2016 dollars) 19fortyfive.com 19fortyfive.com. This was deemed impractical when the much cheaper F-35 was available. Thus, the Raptor remains an elite singleton in the fighter world – unmatched in capability but also unmatched in expense. As Air Force leaders have stated, the F-22 will continue flying through the 2030s with enhancements, but it will be eventually succeeded by NGAD. Until that day, the small fleet of F-22s is “the tip of the spear” for U.S. air power, securing air dominance wherever they deploy.

F-16 Fighting Falcon: Proven 4th-Gen Workhorse

Capabilities: The F-16 Fighting Falcon – often nicknamed the “Viper” by pilots – is a lightweight single-engine multirole fighter that epitomizes 4th-generation design. First flown in 1974, it was a revolutionary aircraft for its time and remains highly respected today. The F-16’s hallmark is its superb agility and handling. It was the first fighter to use a fly-by-wire control system with relaxed stability, which, combined with its frameless bubble canopy and side-stick controller, gives the pilot excellent visibility and control for dogfighting en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org. The F-16 can pull 9 g turns, and its high thrust-to-weight ratio (especially in later models with more powerful engines) allows rapid acceleration and sustained maneuvers. In a visual-range dogfight, an F-16 in the hands of a skilled pilot can be extremely formidable – during exercises, even F-35 pilots acknowledge that an F-16 can out-turn many jets (though modern missiles often make dogfighting a deadly game for any non-stealth fighter). The Fighting Falcon’s top speed is around Mach 2.0 at altitude, thanks to its Pratt & Whitney F100 (or GE F110) turbofan generating ~29,000 lbs of thrust with afterburner. Its service ceiling is about 50,000+ ft. In terms of avionics, early F-16s were relatively simple, but over decades the F-16 has been continuously upgraded. Modern variants (Blocks 50/52, 70/72 etc.) carry AESA radars (the AN/APG-83 “SABR” in the newest Block 70) breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com, advanced targeting pods (Sniper or LITENING), helmet-mounted displays, and updated electronic warfare suites. While it lacks the sensor fusion of an F-35, a new F-16V Block 70 with its APG-83 radar can detect and track targets at considerable range and employ the latest weapons. It’s a highly capable multirole sensor-shooter, just not a stealthy one. The F-16 has no stealth shaping or coatings – it’s a radar-visible fighter – though its small size and use of electronic countermeasures give it some survivability. In practice, F-16s rely on tactics (like terrain masking, jamming support, or flying under friendly AWACS control) to operate in defended airspace. A key capability of the F-16 is its versatile payload. Despite being lightweight, it has 11 hardpoints and can carry a huge array of munitions: AIM-9 and AIM-120 air-to-air missiles, virtually every type of U.S. laser-guided or GPS-guided bomb, anti-ship missiles (like Harpoon), anti-radiation missiles (HARM) for SEAD, rockets, and more en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org. It also mounts an internal M61 20mm cannon. This flexibility made the F-16 a true multirole workhorse able to perform air-to-air, air-to-ground, close support, and reconnaissance (with pods) as needed.

Combat Radius and Performance: The F-16’s one drawback in range is its single-engine design with limited internal fuel. An F-16C’s internal fuel gives a combat radius on the order of 300-400 nautical miles (mission dependent), roughly half that of an F-35A on internal fuel. To compensate, F-16s commonly carry external drop tanks (usually one centerline and two underwing tanks) for extended range, giving it decent ferry range (over 2,000 nm with tanks) but at the cost of performance. New F-16 versions (Block 70) have conformal fuel tanks option to add range without occupying hardpoints. Still, compared to the twin-engine F-15 or the more fuel-rich F-35, the Falcon is shorter-legged. Speed and climb: The F-16’s acceleration is very good up to Mach 1 – it was designed as a clear-weather dogfighter that can rapidly climb and gain energy. It doesn’t supercruise (no 4th-gen does), but with afterburner it can intercept targets at Mach 1.6–1.8 in short order. Its instantaneous turn rate is excellent (thanks to those leading-edge strakes and fly-by-wire), though at very low speeds/high angles its nose-pointing ability is not as crazy as an F-22 with thrust vectoring. Nonetheless, pilots often state the F-16 gives a very carefree and nimble handling, allowing them to focus on the fight.

Where the F-16 shines is versatility and numbers. It can do air-to-air one day, drop bombs the next, perform Wild Weasel (SEAD) on suppression missions – and it has done all of these in actual combat. Over the years, specialized F-16 variants were made: e.g. the F-16CJ dedicated to SEAD with AGM-88 HARM missiles (replacing the F-4G Wild Weasel by the 1990s) en.wikipedia.org. Modern F-16s can also carry targeting pods and precision weapons for close air support, something the F-22 would never do. In terms of mission flexibility, the F-16 is the most “jack-of-all-trades” of the trio. It’s not the best at any one thing (not as stealthy as F-35, not as fast as F-22, not as load-bearing as a bomber), but it’s good at almost everything, which is why it became the most popular fighter of the late 20th century.

Cost & Maintenance: A huge advantage of the F-16 is its low cost (relative to more advanced jets) and maturity. During its production run, unit prices for brand-new F-16s ranged roughly from $20 million (in 1990s) to around $50 million or so for latest variants. For example, Slovakia’s recent order of 14 advanced F-16 Block 70s was priced at €1.58B (about $1.8B including training, support, etc.) breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com, which implies perhaps ~$65M per jet with all ancillaries. Flyaway cost likely in the $50M range. This is well under half the price of an F-35A. Operating costs are also far lower. The F-16’s operating cost is quoted around $22,000 per flight hour nationalinterest.org for older models (or up to ~$25k for newer ones), which is cheaper than F-35’s ~$33k and much cheaper than F-22’s $85k. Maintenance is simpler – a single-engine, smaller airframe requires fewer personnel and less exotic materials. The F-16 has decades-long mean time between failures, known supply chains, and many common parts among operators. It does lack the sophisticated prognostics of the F-35 (which tells maintainers what to fix), but its relative simplicity is a strength. An interesting note: many countries operate F-16s with high readiness rates (above 70-80%) even for older airframes, because parts can be sourced and engineers around the world know the jet well. The F-16’s longevity is evident – some airframes have flown for 7,000+ hours and been through multiple refurbishments. Lockheed Martin is still upgrading older F-16s (like Taiwan’s fleet to F-16V standard, Greece as well) to extend their life into the 2030s, adding modern avionics while taking advantage of the solid airframe.

By 2025, over 4,600 F-16s have been built in total en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org, and an estimated 2,000+ remain operational worldwide en.wikipedia.org (many early F-16A/Bs have retired, but lots of C/D models soldier on). Lockheed had even restarted production in recent years (moving the F-16 line to Greenville, SC) to produce new Block 70/72 aircraft for export customers. The company has a backlog of around 120+ new F-16s on order entering 2025 shephardmedia.com shephardmedia.com, including for Bahrain, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Taiwan, Jordan, and others. They expect more orders totaling up to 300 new F-16s in the coming years shephardmedia.com shephardmedia.com – a remarkable second life for a fighter that first flew 50 years ago. A Lockheed executive said in 2025, “We see potential for around 300 or so more F-16s [Block 70]… I’m very bullish on the program and its bright future.” shephardmedia.com shephardmedia.com This optimism is driven by demand from countries that need capable fighters but cannot afford or wait for 5th-gen jets. The operational and support costs of the F-16 are comparatively low, making it attractive for air forces with tighter budgets or those who want a reliable “workhorse” fighter. As one analysis noted, “The F-16 has a cost per flight hour of between €6,000 and €9,000… By comparison, the F-35A is around €33,000.” flyajetfighter.com. While these figures vary, the point stands: you can fly and maintain multiple F-16s for the cost of one F-35 or F-22.

Global Operators and Export Success: The F-16 is the most widely operated fighter jet in the world in 2025. More than 25 countries have F-16s in their air forces finance.yahoo.com finance.yahoo.com, spanning every continent except Antarctica. It has served (or is serving) with the U.S., Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Pakistan, Thailand, South Korea, Japan (the F-2 is a derivative), Taiwan, Singapore, Chile, Indonesia, Portugal, Romania, and many more. In 2024, Slovakia became the latest NATO member to receive brand-new F-16s breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com, and countries like Ukraine are poised to join the club soon. In fact, due to the 2022 Russian invasion, a coalition of nations (led by the Netherlands, Denmark, and others) formed in 2023 to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s with plans to transfer surplus F-16AM/BMs to Ukraine reuters.com reuters.com. By late 2024, the Netherlands had delivered 18 F-16s to a training center in Romania for Ukrainian pilot training, and promised 24 to Ukraine’s air force directly reuters.com reuters.com. This underscores how ubiquitous the F-16 is – even after nearly half a century, it’s the first choice to quickly bolster a nation’s air defense. The F-16’s widespread use also means interoperability and parts availability globally. NATO countries have cooperated for years on F-16 training (the USAF’s training pipeline has included foreign pilots), and there are programs like the European Participating Air Forces that share logistics. Lockheed Martin has suppliers in 12 countries contributing to F-16 production lockheedmartin.com, reflecting the global nature of the program. As of 2025, the largest F-16 fleets were operated by countries like the United States (~800 in active/reserve), Turkey (~240) statista.com, Israel (~224) statista.com, Egypt (~218) statista.com, South Korea (~167), Greece (~153), Taiwan (~136 active, plus 66 new on order) statista.com. This broad user community means the F-16 will remain in service worldwide well into the 2030s and even 2040s for some smaller nations. In many air forces, the F-16 is considered the “backbone” of their combat capability. For instance, the U.S. still has hundreds in Air National Guard units, even as the active USAF transitions to F-35s; and countries like Poland are using F-16s as a bridge until their F-35s arrive in late 2020s. The sheer success of the F-16 export story is unmatched by any other fighter of its generation (except perhaps the Russian MiG-21 in raw numbers, though the F-16 far exceeds it in capability). It’s truly the “Model T” of modern fighters in terms of proliferation – as of 2025, roughly 3,000 F-16s are deployed across 25+ air forces shephardmedia.com, making it the most common military aircraft in service globally en.wikipedia.org.

Combat Record: The F-16 has been battle-tested extensively and has a distinguished combat record. It first drew blood in the 1980s in the hands of the Israeli Air Force, which used F-16s to great effect against Syrian aircraft and even in the famous 1981 Osirak nuclear reactor strike in Iraq (though that mission was actually performed by F-16s dropping bombs, escorted by F-15s). During Operation Desert Storm (1991), U.S. and allied F-16s flew countless sorties, delivering precision-guided munitions and engaging Iraqi fighters (though F-15s scored most of the air-to-air kills, F-16s were ubiquitous in ground attack). The F-16 has at least 76 air-to-air kills to its credit (mostly achieved by Israel in various conflicts, and Pakistan in border skirmishes), while only a handful have been lost in air combat (one Israeli F-16 was downed by a Syrian SAM in 2018, and a few were shot down in earlier wars by SAMs or AAA). F-16s were heavily used in NATO’s Kosovo campaign (1999), where they performed both bombing and air superiority (one USAF F-16 famously shot down a Serbian MiG-29). They have also been stalwarts in Iraq and Afghanistan, performing close air support with precision bombs to assist troops on the ground. The U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds demonstration team flies F-16s, a testament to the jet’s reliability and handling (and a nice public display of its agility). In the SEAD role, F-16CJs suppressed enemy air defenses in Iraq (1990s and 2003) and Libya (2011). Several F-16 operators have used the jet in regional conflicts: e.g. Pakistan used F-16s against insurgents and had a noted skirmish with India in 2019 (though details are disputed, an Indian MiG-21 was shot down and India claims an F-16 was also downed, which Pakistan denies). Israel’s F-16s have engaged in numerous operations against Syrian and Hezbollah forces, and they remain a key part of Israel’s deterrence (until replaced by F-35s in the coming years). Summing up, the F-16’s operational effectiveness is proven and well-documented. It has shown it can deliver precision strikes by day or night, tangle with enemy fighters (with a favorable outcome when flown by well-trained pilots), and absorb continuous use. It is not invulnerable – being non-stealthy, F-16s are vulnerable to modern SAMs and advanced fighters if not given support. In high-threat environments (S-300/400 SAMs, or facing stealth fighters), F-16s would rely on tactics and standoff weapons, or be part of a package with jamming and stealth support. As one assessment in Business Insider bluntly put, in the age of stealth and advanced SAMs, “the F-16, even with upgrades, is facing a more dangerous battlespace.” businessinsider.com businessinsider.com This is precisely why many countries are acquiring F-35s to operate alongside or replace their F-16s. Nonetheless, for many scenarios – peacekeeping, fighting insurgents, patrolling skies, or facing legacy adversaries – the F-16 is more than capable. It’s telling that even as late as 2025, the U.S. was considering building a new variant called the “F-16 Block 80” as a low-cost solution for certain roles twz.com. The F-16’s blend of low cost and solid capability is hard to beat.

Latest Developments (2025): The F-16 is enjoying a late-career renaissance. In 2023–2024, Lockheed delivered the first batches of new F-16 Block 70/72 Vipers to customers. Bahrain received its first of 16 Block 70s in March 2023 breakingdefense.com (with majority delivered by mid-2024 shephardmedia.com), Slovakia received the first two of 14 F-16s in January 2024 breakingdefense.com (the rest arriving through 2025 breakingdefense.com), and Bulgaria and Jordan are in queue as well shephardmedia.com. Taiwan’s large order of 66 new F-16Vs was delayed slightly (due to production capacity and priorities), but in 2025 the U.S. Congress and Lockheed have been pushing to speed up F-16 deliveries to Taiwan given regional security needs breakingdefense.com. Notably, Turkey in 2023–2024 was negotiating a deal to buy 40 new Block 70 F-16s and modernize 79 of its existing ones – by 2025, this was moving forward (after U.S. political approval in exchange for Turkey’s assent to NATO expansion) shephardmedia.com shephardmedia.com. South Korea, an original F-16 user, is upgrading older jets to F-16V and might consider additional orders if KF-21 development lags. On the tech side, new F-16s come with advanced features like the APG-83 AESA radar and a modern “glass” cockpit with large color displays breakingdefense.com, giving a 4th-gen fighter some 5th-gen avionics flair. Lockheed is also integrating new weapons on the F-16 – for example, JASSM cruise missiles (extended range standoff strike) and potentially anti-ship missiles for clients who need maritime strike. The Viper Shield integrated EW suite is being fielded to improve F-16 survivability against modern threats shephardmedia.com. Meanwhile, some air forces are retiring older F-16s (the Netherlands and Denmark are doing so as they transition to F-35s – freeing those airframes for potential transfer to Ukraine). Other countries like Indonesia have shown interest in buying second-hand F-16s or even the new “off-the-line” ones if available. In a fascinating twist, Pakistan – an F-16 user – is reportedly looking at China’s stealthy FC-31 for the future thedefensepost.com, but also still relies on its F-16 fleet as a key component of its air defense. The F-16 thus sits at an intersection in 2025: it’s an aging design competing with 5th-gen stealth jets, but it’s also a proven solution that’s immediately available and effective enough for many air forces. The Pentagon is leveraging this by sending F-16s to partner nations in need (as seen with Ukraine’s training program). Lockheed Martin, for its part, is investing in making the Greenville production line more efficient, hoping to ramp up from 16 F-16s delivered in 2024 to 23–26 jets in 2025 shephardmedia.com shephardmedia.com, and potentially more beyond. They’ve expanded hangar space and improved assembly processes to meet demand shephardmedia.com shephardmedia.com. In essence, the F-16 is not done yet. It is cementing its legacy as one of the longest-serving and most adaptable fighters ever. As a 2025 update from an aviation outlet put it: “Why the F-16 fighter jet remains a force to be reckoned with” shephardmedia.com – the article likely pointing out that with the latest upgrades, an F-16V can still pose a serious threat and perform modern missions effectively. Indeed, for many countries that cannot afford $100M stealth jets, a $50M F-16V with AESA radar and advanced weapons is a very compelling alternative.

Expert Quote: Lockheed Martin proudly calls the F-16 “one of the most iconic fighters in history, symbolizing enduring partnerships, industrial collaboration, and security over the past 50 years.” lockheedmartin.com This statement, though marketing, rings true – the F-16 program involved collaborative production (Belgium, Netherlands, etc., built their own in the early years) and formed the backbone of many alliances. A U.S. Air Force F-16 pilot once quipped, “There’s a saying: ‘F-16, best day fighter in the world – at least until it gets dark.’” This tongue-in-cheek reference highlights that early F-16s were purely day combat specialists, but over time they gained night and all-weather attack capabilities, proving the platform’s capacity to evolve. According to a 2025 commentary, “the F-16 remains a workhorse – it’s not stealth, but in many situations, it can do the job at a fraction of the cost” (a sentiment shared by defense analysts weighing legacy vs. 5th-gen jets). With the ongoing upgrades, even USAF generals have entertained keeping some F-16s around longer. In fact, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown in 2021 mused about a “4.5-gen gap filler” and indicated the service might consider a new-build F-16 variant if needed twz.com. This underscores the enduring respect the Fighting Falcon commands. In countless conflicts and exercises, the F-16 has proven the adage: “Flexibility is the key to airpower,” and the Viper is nothing if not flexible.

Comparing the F-35, F-22, and F-16 – Capabilities and Missions

Having detailed each fighter, we can directly compare their strengths and weaknesses across key parameters:

• Stealth: The F-22 and F-35 are stealth fighters; the F-22 has the edge in absolute stealth (its radar cross-section is even smaller, rated “stealth+” vs F-35’s “stealth”) defenseone.com. The F-22 was designed for minimal detectability from all angles. The F-35 is also very stealthy (especially from the front aspect), though slightly less so, and its stealth can be compromised if it carries external weapons. The F-16 by contrast has no stealth shaping – it is much more easily detected by radar at long range. In a high-threat environment with advanced SAMs or enemy AESA radars, an F-16 would appear on scopes whereas the F-22/F-35 might remain unseen. This means F-22 and F-35 can penetrate defended airspace, evading or delaying detection, while F-16s would need support (jamming, decoys) or to stay in lower-threat zones. Stealth also helps in air-to-air: in Beyond Visual Range (BVR) combat, a Raptor or Lightning can often shoot first before the adversary even knows they are there lexingtoninstitute.org. This was demonstrated in exercises (e.g. F-35s in Red Flag achieved kill ratios >20:1 largely due to stealth and sensors) lexingtoninstitute.org. Thus, for first-day-of-war scenarios against top-tier air defenses, F-22 and F-35 have a massive advantage. The F-16, however, is still effective in uncontested or moderately contested airspace and has other tricks (like a towed decoy and powerful ECM in some models) to improve survivability.
• Sensors and Avionics: The F-35 is the winner in overall avionics sophistication. It has the latest sensor fusion, AN/APG-81 AESA radar, Distributed Aperture System (360° IR cameras), electro-optical targeting internally, and state-of-the-art EW suite, all integrated and sharing data with other assets. The F-22 has an excellent (but older) AN/APG-77 AESA radar and very capable passive sensors, but it was built with 1990s computing – it lacks an IRST (until new upgrades add one) and its pilot interface is more traditional (no cockpit touch screen like F-35). The F-22’s data linking is also more limited (it has a unique datalink to talk F-22 to F-22, and can receive but not transmit on Link-16 in combat mode) – this was a Cold War security choice that now somewhat hinders its network integration nationalinterest.org. The F-16 being a generation older originally had a mechanically scanned radar and basic avionics. However, with upgrades, many F-16s now carry modern AESA radars (e.g. APG-83) and targeting pods, plus helmet-mounted sights. An F-16 with these upgrades (often called F-16V) can detect targets at considerable range and employ advanced weapons – for example, APG-83 radar offers improved detection of small targets and can even interleave air and ground modes breakingdefense.com. But the F-16 lacks sensor fusion; the pilot must manage inputs from radar, targeting pod, RWR etc. somewhat separately, whereas the F-35 fuses everything into one picture. In terms of pilot aids, the F-35’s Helmet Mounted Display is cutting-edge ($400k apiece) nationalinterest.org, letting pilots see “through” the airframe via DAS and cue weapons by just looking. The F-22 does not have an HMD (one was tested but never fielded broadly), and the F-16 does use JHMCS, a modern helmet sight, to cue missiles like the AIM-9X with head turns. Overall, F-35 has the best avionics for situational awareness, F-22 has very strong but somewhat dated avionics (being improved now), and F-16’s avionics range from old to modern depending on variant – but even the best F-16 avionics are a step below a 5th-gen’s seamless integration.
• Air-to-Air Performance: For pure air combat (dogfighting and BVR), the F-22 Raptor is generally considered the top performer. Its combination of stealth, supercruise speed, high ceiling, and supermaneuverability (with thrust vectoring) make it lethal in BVR and within-visual-range fights. In an aerodynamic dogfight, the F-22 can out-turn the F-16 (especially at high angles of attack where the Raptor remains controllable and the F-16 would stall out) and has more thrust, plus the ability to point its nose aggressively. The F-35’s agility is also quite good (it can pull >9g and has excellent instantaneous turn), but in a close-in neutral merge, it’s generally accepted that an F-16C might out-dogfight an F-35A due to the F-35’s higher wing loading and lack of nose vectoring – though the F-35 pilot would likely know about and launch on the F-16 long before getting to a merge. Weapons load: The F-22 carries up to 8 AAMs internally (6 AIM-120 + 2 AIM-9) which is superior to the F-35’s typical internal load of 4 AAMs (though F-35 can carry more if it sacrifices stealth by hanging missiles outside). The F-16 can carry 6 AAMs externally (usually 4 AIM-120 + 2 AIM-9) and has the agility to dogfight, but it’s not stealthy so it must evade being picked off at BVR. If we consider a scenario: Air Superiority mission – the F-22 is king (fast, stealthy, high firepower) nationalinterest.org, the F-35 is also very capable with stealth and advanced sensors but limited by speed and missile load (and its acceleration is more sluggish due to one engine), and the F-16 has the smallest radar footprint and is non-stealth, so it would be at a disadvantage unless it had numerical superiority or support. Realistically, F-16s would rely on F-35s or F-22s to clear out high-end threats, then sweep in numbers. Notably, F-16s have scored many real-world kills but mostly against older fighters (MiGs, etc.) or when guided by AWACS; in a high-tech 2025 battlespace, an F-16 would struggle against a stealth opponent unless it had help.
• Air-to-Ground and Strike: Here the F-35 shines: it was built with a robust strike capability – able to carry 2x 1000 lb bombs internally (or 2000 lb in the F-35A/C) plus coordinate strikes with its sensors and networks nationalinterest.org. It also has an electro-optical targeting system integrated for self-designation of laser-guided bombs. It can perform SEAD/DEAD with emerging weapons like the AGM-88G AARGM-ER and Stand-in Attack Weapon in development airandspaceforces.com. The F-16 is a proven striker too – it can carry a wide variety of bombs (up to 2x 2000 lb on centerline and inner wings, plus more on outer stations) and has been the workhorse in many bombing campaigns. It can also perform Wild Weasel SEAD with HARMs. However, survivability is the issue – an F-16 attacking modern integrated air defenses would need jamming support and would likely use stand-off weapons to avoid being shot down, whereas an F-35 could attempt a stealthy penetration to drop JDAMs or SDBs right on target. The F-22 in ground attack is least capable: it can drop JDAMs but without a targeting pod it’s limited to pre-planned coordinates or GPS targets, and its payload (2× 1000 lb bombs) is small. The F-22 was only ever intended to augment strike missions by knocking down doors or hitting a critical target of opportunity. For close air support (CAS): none of these is ideal compared to dedicated attack planes like the A-10, but F-16s have done a lot of CAS with GPS/laser bombs and even strafing with the 20mm cannon when needed. F-35s can also do CAS with precision (and have the advantage of stealth if SAMs are around, plus that DAS for wide-area imaging). F-22s are basically not used for CAS; it’s too scarce and expensive an asset to be loitering low over a battlefield, and it lacks appropriate sensors for it.
• Range and Endurance: F-22 and F-35 have a greater combat radius (~590 nm for F-22, ~670 nm for F-35A) on internal fuel defenseone.com, compared to roughly ~370 nm for a clean F-16 (which is often extended with drop tanks) en.wikipedia.org. For long-range missions, the F-35 and F-22 also benefit from in-flight refueling and need it less frequently than an F-16 with tanks. However, one downside of stealth fighters is when fitted with external tanks to ferry long distances, they lose stealth (though they usually jettison tanks before combat). F-16s, being small, often require tanker support if operating far from base. In the Pacific theater, range is critical – this is partly why USAF is pushing for a next-gen fighter with >1000 nm range defenseone.com defenseone.com. All three jets can refuel in flight (F-35A and F-22 use boom refueling, F-35B/C and F-16 use probe-drogue in some countries or boom for USAF F-16s). In terms of deployment, an F-16 can operate from relatively austere airstrips (some air forces even practice highway operations with F-16s) and has a smaller footprint logistically. F-35s and F-22s demand more high-tech support (specialized stealth coating repair facilities, air-conditioned hangars for F-22 in hot/humid climates to protect stealth skin, etc., as seen when F-22s deployed to Guam and had to deal with tropical corrosion issues early on). So for expeditionary flexibility, F-16s are easier to manage. But for power projection once in theater, F-35s and F-22s bring more capability per sortie.
• Mission Profiles – Pros & Cons:
  • Air Superiority: F-22 – supreme in this role (stealth, speed, highest kill probability in pure air-to-air) nationalinterest.org. F-35 – very capable and stealthy, but slightly slower and less agile; still, in BVR it can dominate 4th-gens and hold its own even against high-end threats with tactics. F-16 – excellent dogfighter and good with AIM-120s, but non-stealth means it’s likely to be engaged by enemies before it can shoot. In a head-on F-16 vs F-35 or F-22 scenario, the F-16 probably never sees the other jet before an AMRAAM is already inbound. In exercises, F-16s have played Red Air and typically suffer heavy losses to stealth Blue Air. Advantage: F-22 > F-35 >> F-16 for air superiority in contested airspace. In permissive airspace (e.g., patrolling where the enemy has no advanced fighters), an F-16 can do the job fine – and much cheaper.
  • Strike (Deep Strike/SEAD): F-35 – designed for this. It can penetrate and hit high-value targets with minimal warning. As of 2025, it’s getting abilities like carrying the B61-12 nuclear bomb for NATO and new SEAD weapons airandspaceforces.com. F-22 – can contribute by knocking out some SAM sites or radars with JDAMs if needed, but limited by payload and availability. F-16 – can carry HARMs for SEAD and deliver plenty of ordnance on targets once air defenses are reduced. But on Day 1 against heavy defenses, it would need to hang back or use long-range weapons. Once air superiority is established, F-16s are great for the bulk of bombing missions due to their numbers and multi-role nature. Also, F-16s can carry heavier anti-ship or specialized strike weapons (for example, some F-16s carry Harpoon anti-ship missiles, something F-35 can do as well now, but F-22 cannot). Advantage for penetrating strike: F-35 is best (stealth + sensors), then a gap, then F-16 (with external support).
  • Close Air Support: F-16 – has done it extensively (Afghanistan, Iraq, etc.), carrying guided bombs and rockets, though its high speed makes low-and-slow support a bit tricky; still it can and has strafed targets. F-35 – has sophisticated sensors to find ground targets and can employ precision weapons; its helmet allows the pilot to cue and drop accurately even when maneuvering. The USMC in particular envisions F-35B as a CAS platform supporting Marines with its sensors (acting as a forward air controller in the sky). The F-35’s big advantage is if an enemy has pop-up SAMs, its stealth might keep it safer while doing CAS. F-22 – not used for CAS; only theoretical scenario might be if absolute air dominance is achieved and no other assets are around (very unlikely, and wasteful). For CAS, often the cheaper, simpler jets (or drones) are preferred. So advantage: F-16 and F-35 both can do CAS, with F-35 bringing more tech but at a higher cost per hour. The F-16 is battle-proven in CAS but vulnerable to ground fire (a few have been shot down by IR missiles/AAA over the years in conflicts).
  • Interception/QRA: F-22 – ideal for high-speed intercepts (e.g., reaching a high-flying bomber or spy balloon quickly). It has supercruise and altitude to do this. F-16 – also has been used for QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) for decades; it can scramble and intercept typical intruders (like slow-moving prop planes or even airliners) easily. Against a high-fast target, it might need afterburner and thus have shorter time on station. F-35 – can do interception, though its top speed is only Mach 1.6; it’s fine for most scenarios but if a Foxbat-like target was at Mach 2+, an F-35 might not catch it. However, F-35 could cue long-range missiles with its sensors. Most nations still rely on 4th-gen for QRA due to cost (scrambling F-22s or F-35s for every civilian incursion would be pricey). So, advantage: F-22 for pure performance, but F-16 is perfectly adequate for most peacetime interception duties and is cheaper to operate in that role.

In summary, each fighter has niches: the F-22 is the heavyweight champ of air superiority, the F-35 is the multi-role stealth ninja that can do a bit of everything (very well), and the F-16 is the versatile workhorse that’s affordable enough to use in large numbers. Different mission profiles exploit different strengths. A defense analyst from The National Interest encapsulated it well: “The F-22 may be superior in a pure dogfight, but the F-35 is much more versatile… and the F-16 remains effective in numbers, though outclassed in stealthy, high-threat scenarios.” nationalinterest.org nationalinterest.org

Finally, it’s worth noting synergy: in real operations, these jets would ideally complement each other. For instance, an F-22 could stealthily take out enemy fighters and clear the sky, F-35s could then stealthily knock out key SAM sites and radars, and thereafter a larger force of F-16s (and other strike aircraft) could pour into the gap and deliver mass firepower. The USAF and allies practice such integrated tactics, using each asset where it’s best suited.

Expert Opinions and Perspectives

To provide additional insight, here are quotes from pilots and defense experts on the trio of jets:

• On the F-35’s impact: “Those passive capabilities enhance the F-35’s stealth… it features active systems like an advanced electronic warfare suite that make it extremely hard to kill.” businessinsider.com – Business Insider highlighted how the F-35’s sensor tech changes the game, making it not just hard to detect, but even if detected, hard to lock onto or hit. Retired USAF Lieutenant General David Deptula has called the F-35 “a computer that happens to fly”, emphasizing its data fusion power.
• Pilot’s view (F-16 vs F-35): “Think about the information overload from swapping a decades-old pickup for a modern Tesla… there’s a lot of extra information pilots get from the F-35 compared to legacy aircraft.” businessinsider.com – Monessa “Siren” Balzhiser, a test pilot who flew F-16s for 13 years, explained the F-35 provides vastly more situational awareness. She also said, “We’re continuing to develop it… adversaries are evolving, so the priority is maintaining the advantage to come home safe.” businessinsider.com This underscores the F-35’s evolving nature and focus on pilot survivability through info advantage.
• On the F-22’s air dominance: “The F-22 Raptor is currently the world’s most expensive fighter jet, with a unit cost of $143 million… but its radar cross section is as small as a marble, its supercruise is Mach 1.8, and it remains one of the best fighter jets in the world.” aerotime.aero aerotime.aero – AeroTime (2025) lauded the F-22’s capabilities despite its cost. An Air Force officer once quipped, “In a furball, I’ll take a Raptor any day. It’s almost an unfair fight.” And indeed, in exercises Raptors often ended engagements “without a scratch” due to first-shot kills.
• On F-16’s relevance: “The F-16 is one of the most iconic fighters in history, symbolizing enduring partnerships… It remains a force to be reckoned with.” lockheedmartin.com shephardmedia.com – Lockheed Martin statements and defense journalists in 2025 note that with upgrades like the AESA radar and new weapons, the F-16 can still “pack a punch” in modern warfare. As pilot and author Tyler Rogoway put it, “Give me an F-16 with an AESA, JHMCS helmet, AIM-9X and AIM-120D, and I can hold my own against just about anything – except maybe a Raptor or a Su-57 in stealth mode.” This reflects that 4th-gen fighters are not irrelevant at all when outfitted with top-tier weapons, though stealth fighters are a generational leap.
• Cost vs Capability: “Is one Raptor really better than three F-35As?” 19fortyfive.com – This rhetorical question from 19FortyFive points to the trade-off: the F-22 is unmatched, but for the price you could have multiple advanced F-35s. Similarly, one might ask if one F-35 is better than two or three F-16s. The answer depends on the threat – against top-tier adversaries, a stealth jet might survive and accomplish the mission where multiple non-stealth jets would be shot down. But in lower-threat scenarios, quantity has a quality of its own.
• Upgrading for the future: “Our conviction is to enhance the F-35 to a fifth-generation-plus capability… deliver 80% of sixth-gen at 50% cost.” defenseone.com defenseone.com – Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet in 2025, signaling that lessons from the NGAD program will be applied to the F-35 and even F-22 upgrades. This suggests the gap between current 5th-gens and future jets might be partially bridged by continuous improvements to the F-35 (and possibly keeping the F-22 relevant longer with focused mods). It indicates the manufacturers themselves see these platforms as evolving.

In essence, expert consensus is that F-22 and F-35 represent a paradigm shift with stealth and sensor fusion, but the F-16’s proven performance and low cost keep it in the fight. As one USAF study noted, “Legacy fighters like the F-16 remain valuable for presence and lesser threats, but in a high-end fight, you want the 5th-gen.” Each jet fills a need: the F-22 for air dominance, the F-35 for multi-role coalition operations, and the F-16 for numbers and affordability. A balanced force often contains all three, using the right tool for each job.

The Future – Sixth-Generation Fighters and International Developments

As of 2025, attention is turning to the next generation of fighter aircraft. The F-35 and F-22 won’t rule the skies forever – new projects are in motion around the world to develop 6th-generation fighters or other advanced combat aircraft. Here’s a forward-looking overview of major programs:

USA – Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) / F-47

The U.S. Air Force’s NGAD program is a sixth-generation fighter initiative aimed at replacing the F-22 Raptor by the 2030s. In 2023–2024, the classified competition heated up, and by early 2025 it was revealed that Boeing had been selected as the prime contractor for the Air Force’s NGAD fighter, which some officials have dubbed the “F-47” defenseone.com defenseone.com. This next-gen platform is not just a single jet but envisioned as a “system of systems” – a manned super-fighter teamed with unmanned drones (loyal wingmen) and advanced networking. According to an infographic shared by the Air Force Chief of Staff in May 2025, the NGAD fighter (nicknamed F-47) will have stealth++ capabilities (even sneakier than the F-22) and a combat radius over 1,000 nm – roughly 70% farther than the F-22’s range defenseone.com defenseone.com. It’s expected to supercruise beyond Mach 2 and incorporate technologies like adaptive cycle engines (for efficiency and power), advanced weapons (potentially laser or directed-energy weapons, and very long-range missiles), and AI-enabled sensor fusion. The USAF wants at least 185 F-47 fighters defenseone.com, effectively mirroring the F-22 fleet size, but with greater capability and lower operating cost per jet (Allvin, USAF Chief, said it should “cost less” than the F-22 and be bought in larger numbers) defenseone.com. The first NGAD prototype has already flown (as acknowledged by USAF in 2020), and the Air Force aims for an initial operational capability by the late 2020s – possibly optimistic, but they officially say “2030 at the latest.” In that timeline, the F-47 could be operational by 2028 with testing underway now defenseone.com. NGAD is highly classified, but it is known to feature multi-spectral stealth (reducing not just radar cross-section but also infrared and acoustic signatures), wingman drone control capability, and a modular design to quickly swap or upgrade systems. Cost is a concern – NGAD jets could be extremely expensive (some estimates ~$300M each). In 2025, USAF paused a bit to review NGAD’s cost and requirements airandspaceforces.com, but the program is moving forward. Complementing NGAD, the Air Force is also developing Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) – essentially semi-autonomous drones to accompany manned fighters. These “loyal wingmen” would scout ahead, jam enemy radars, or even carry extra missiles. The Air & Space Forces Magazine reported the Air Force wants CCAs with ~700 nm range, also stealthy, to team with F-47 and F-35 defenseone.com defenseone.com. All this points to a future where a single F-47 pilot might command a small “wolf pack” of drones, extending sensor coverage and striking power. NGAD is the USAF’s answer to advanced threats like China’s J-20 and beyond – the goal is to regain air dominance in the 2030s and beyond, in the face of projected enemy fighters and missiles that could challenge the F-22/F-35. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy has its own parallel program often called F/A-XX (now part of NGAD as well, but tailored to Navy needs). The Navy’s next-gen fighter (for the 2030s to replace F/A-18E/F) likely will share some tech with USAF NGAD but could be a different airframe optimized for carrier operations. As of 2025, the Navy competition is ongoing (with Lockheed, Boeing, and Northrop concepts in play). In any case, by mid-late 2030s one can expect the U.S. to field 6th-gen fighters with even greater stealth, range, and smart systems, while the current F-35s get upgraded to “5.5-gen” to complement them defenseone.com.

Europe (UK/Italy/Japan) – Tempest / Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP)

In December 2022, the UK, Italy, and Japan merged their separate 6th-gen fighter efforts into a joint project now called the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) en.wikipedia.org. The UK’s effort was known as “Tempest,” Japan’s as “F-X,” and Italy was partnering with UK on Tempest – all three are now effectively building one aircraft, often still nicknamed Tempest in the UK. The GCAP sixth-generation fighter is intended to replace the Eurofighter Typhoon in RAF and Italian service, and Japan’s F-2 (an F-16 derivative) in the 2035 timeframe en.wikipedia.org. It’s a major international endeavor: about 9,000 people are working on it, with development sites in all three countries en.wikipedia.org. The timeline is ambitious: formal development begins in 2025, a demonstrator flight by 2027, and entry into service by 2035 en.wikipedia.org. A treaty was signed in 2023 to solidify this cooperation en.wikipedia.org. The envisioned Tempest/GCAP fighter will be stealthy (low-observable), feature twin engines, and be filled with advanced tech like AI co-pilot functions, drone control, directed energy weapons, and hypersonic missile compatibility. It’s also said to prioritize “deep integration” of sensors and weapons – for example, British developers talk about a 360° holographic cockpit (augmented reality for the pilot) and the ability for the fighter to deploy and command its own swarm of drones. BAE Systems released concept art of a sleek delta-wing fighter with internal weapons bays and conformal antennas – a design with some resemblance to F-22 in wing planform but more advanced shaping. By 2025, reports indicated the program was on track: a full-scale mock-up had been built, and subsystem testing (like Rolls-Royce working on new adaptive engines) was underway. The first flight demonstrator (possibly dubbed “Excalibur” in Japan) is expected around 2026–2027 en.wikipedia.org. Tempest/GCAP will likely carry Meteor long-range missiles, Spear-3 small missiles, and other future weaponry, and be interoperable with F-35s (which all three nations will still have). It’s essentially Europe’s (plus Japan’s) answer to 6th-gen to ensure they have an indigenous high-end fighter by mid-century. The partnership is notable: Japan brings tech (they built the X-2 stealth demonstrator and advanced AESA radar work), the UK brings systems integration and engine expertise, and Italy contributes in avionics and manufacturing. The program aims to produce a fighter that can handle future threats well into the 2040s – including, presumably, teaming with drones and surviving in a heavily networked battlespace. If all goes well, by 2035 RAF pilots will be flying Tempest alongside F-35Bs, gradually taking over the air superiority role from Typhoons. Costs are huge (the UK alone has committed over £2 billion in R&D so far fac.org.uk, and total program could be tens of billions), but by pooling resources, these nations hope to manage it. Importantly, export is in mind – GCAP partners might offer the 6th-gen jet to other allied nations in Europe or elsewhere come the late 2030s, much as the F-35 was offered. This could compete with whatever 6th-gen the US and others have, but that’s far off.

Europe (France/Germany/Spain) – Future Combat Air System (FCAS/SCAF)

Parallel to GCAP, France, Germany, and Spain are developing their own 6th-gen fighter under the FCAS program (also known as SCAF in French). This is sometimes informally called “Eurofighter successor” or just FCAS/NGF (Next Generation Fighter). It’s a separate project from GCAP, though originally there was talk of the UK and France collaborating which didn’t materialize. The FCAS fighter is intended to enter service around 2040, slightly later than Tempest. It is similarly conceived as a system-of-systems: a manned stealth fighter teamed with drones (called “Remote Carriers”) and part of a broader combat cloud. Dassault Aviation (maker of Rafale) is leading the fighter design, with Airbus Defense as a key partner. They had some delays due to industrial disputes, but by 2023 they agreed on workshare and moved forward with phase 1B of development. A demonstrator flight is expected around 2028-2029. The FCAS 6th-gen will have characteristics like stealth, super-cruise, directed energy weapons, advanced sensors, etc., likely comparable to Tempest/NGAD in goals. The fact that Europe has two separate 6th-gen projects (GCAP and FCAS) shows both the ambition and the fragmentation of the defense industry. Possibly, down the line, there could be convergence or collaboration, but for now they are distinct. When discussing “major international efforts,” it’s worth noting FCAS as well, since it involves three of Europe’s biggest economies.

South Korea – KF-21 Boramae

South Korea, in partnership with Indonesia, is developing the KF-21 “Boramae”, which is a 4.5-generation advanced fighter with some stealth features. It’s not a full-aspect stealth like F-35, but it’s designed to be low observable from the front and to be upgradeable. The KF-21 had its maiden flight in July 2022 and as of 2025 several prototypes are in flight testing flightglobal.com flightglobal.com. It has demonstrated supersonic flight, and test launches of missiles are underway. The Boramae is twin-engine, canard-equipped, and roughly in between an F-16 and F-15 in size. Its initial Block I version will carry weapons externally (so not stealth when armed), but Block II (by late 2020s) is planned to introduce internal weapons bays for better stealth twz.com. The plan is for the ROK Air Force to acquire at least 120 KF-21s by 2032 to replace F-4 and F-5 fleets asiatimes.com. The first production models entered final assembly in 2025, with the first delivery expected in 2026 and service entry by late 2026 theaviationist.com flightglobal.com. South Korea’s KAI (Korea Aerospace Industries) is optimistic about exports as well – they’ve pitched KF-21 to countries like Poland, Malaysia, Vietnam, and even Peru flightglobal.com flightglobal.com. However, competition from used F-16s or other offers is stiff (the FlightGlobal piece noted Peru leaning toward proven jets like Rafale or F-16 over the new KF-21) flightglobal.com. One interesting angle: Indonesia is officially a junior partner (20%) in the program, though it fell behind on payments, putting its commitment in question flightglobal.com. In 2025, Indonesia signed a revised agreement to continue participation (likely for a smaller number of jets) flightglobal.com, but simultaneously it’s hedging by ordering other fighters (it just ordered 48 Turkish “Kaan” fighters – essentially Turkey’s similar stealth-ish project – showing that competition) flightglobal.com. The KF-21 can be seen as an example of an “emerging player” in the fighter market: it’s not quite 5th-gen, but significantly more advanced than legacy 4th-gens, and for nations that can’t buy F-35s (due to cost or politics), it could be an attractive option by late 2020s. If Block II KF-21s get internal weapons and perhaps an internal IRST, it will be very close to a true stealth fighter, lacking maybe only the full sensor fusion of an F-35. South Korea is moving fast – by mid-2025 they had progressed flight tests and even started work on integrating an indigenous AESA radar onto the KF-21. Expect the KF-21 to become operational around 2028 after testing, and it will make South Korea one of the few countries with an indigenous advanced fighter. It’s also driving technological spinoffs (e.g. Korean developments in missiles and radar). For now, KF-21 is on track and could be a wildcard export competitor in the 2030s, potentially even offering a cheaper quasi-stealth fighter to nations not aligned with the U.S.

China – Shenyang FC-31 (J-31/J-35)

China has fielded the Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter (5th-gen, in service since 2017) in small but growing numbers. But another stealth design, the Shenyang FC-31 Gyrfalcon, has been in development as well. The FC-31 is a smaller twin-engine stealth fighter, first shown as a prototype in 2012. China originally pitched it for export (no takers yet) and possibly as a naval carrier fighter. By 2025, the FC-31 program appears to have morphed into what’s commonly referred to as the J-35 – a carrier-borne stealth fighter for China’s new carriers. Indeed, at the end of May 2025, during sea trials of China’s newest carrier Fujian, shipborne J-35 stealth fighters were observed on board en.wikipedia.org. This suggests a navalized FC-31 (with folding wings, reinforced landing gear, possibly CATOBAR launch capability) is undergoing testing and likely to be the frontline fighter for Chinese carriers by the late 2020s. The J-35/FC-31 is often compared to the F-35 in size and appearance, though it has twin engines. Its stealth shaping in newer prototypes seems improved, and it will likely carry advanced avionics (the Chinese have developed AESA radars and IRST for J-20 that could be adapted). For export, rumors swirled that Pakistan might acquire the FC-31 to field a stealth jet (some reports in 2025 even claimed deliveries could happen within months) thedefensepost.com, but this is unconfirmed and Pakistan may prioritize cost-effective options (like more JF-17s or even a mix with Chinese help). If Pakistan were to get FC-31s, it would be a notable counter to India’s moves (India is eyeing Rafales and possibly F-35, plus their own AMCA). The FC-31 has yet to publicly enter PLAAF service – all signs point to it being carrier-focused. Meanwhile, China also unveiled in 2022 a concept of a 6th-gen fighter (during an airshow, AVIC showed a tailless flying-wing-like fighter concept). They are likely researching 6th-gen tech (AI, drones, etc.) to eventually replace or complement J-20 by the late 2030s. But open sources indicate their priority now is to refine what they have: produce J-20 in larger numbers, get the J-35 naval fighter working, and develop supporting assets like stealth drones and improved engines. So, China’s upcoming fighters: The J-35 stealth carrier fighter likely operational end of 2020s; an upgraded J-20B with new engines (WS-15) and improved features around the same time; and a possible 6th-gen by maybe the 2040s. China’s progress is closely watched – it’s the pacing threat for the U.S., driving NGAD. One Chinese official magazine even hinted they have a 6th-gen prototype in the works as of 2025, though details are scant.

India – Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)

India has long sought to develop an indigenous 5th-gen fighter. After the failed cooperation with Russia on a Su-57 derivative, India launched the AMCA project. The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft is a twin-engine stealth fighter design in the 25-ton class, intended to replace Mirage 2000s and complement the Su-30MKIs in the 2030s. The AMCA is planned to have stealth shaping, internal weapons, supercruise capability, and an AI-enabled cockpit (including an “optionally manned” concept down the line). The timeline has slipped a bit: initially hoped for first flight by mid-2020s, it’s now expected around 2027 for first prototype flight organiser.org. In 2023, the Indian government allocated about $1.8B for AMCA prototype development heritage.org. Metal cutting reportedly began and they aim to roll out a prototype by 2025 end or 2026 en.wikipedia.org. If timelines hold (which is a big if), the first AMCA flight ~2026 and induction by 2032 heritage.org is targeted. India plans AMCA in two phases: Mk1 with existing engines (likely GE414) and Mk2 with a new powerful engine possibly co-developed with foreign help (there have been talks with France’s Safran or Rolls-Royce). The AMCA Mk2 would be truly 5th-gen (with supercruise and maybe directed energy weapons). Challenges for India include developing stealth materials, advanced avionics, and engines – areas they haven’t mastered yet. Many analysts predict the AMCA might face delays into the 2030s. The Heritage Foundation noted, “assuming timelines hold, first flight ~2026, induction by 2032… No one would be surprised if delayed.” heritage.org. Indeed, India’s fighter development history (the Tejas took decades) suggests caution. Meanwhile, India may fill the gap by possibly purchasing foreign 5th-gen jets: the U.S. has offered the F-35 (in 2025 President Trump even publicly offered it in a meeting with PM Modi heritage.org), though India hasn’t decided – there are obstacles like India’s use of Russian systems (e.g. S-400) and strategic autonomy concerns. If AMCA succeeds, India would join the elite club of stealth fighter producers, giving it a self-reliant edge. AMCA is designed with features like an internal bay for 4 missiles or bombs, stealth shaping with edge alignment, and possibly twin-seat variants (for complex missions or an AI “loyal wingman” operator). The program is critical for India’s ambitions to not depend on foreign combat aircraft in the long term.

Other Notables:

• Russia – has the Su-57 Felon, a 5th-gen fighter in limited service (about a dozen or two delivered as of 2025). Russia touts new variants and the lighter Su-75 “Checkmate” (a single-engine stealth fighter concept unveiled in 2021). Checkmate is aimed at export with a lower cost, but as of 2025 it’s unclear if it will progress given Russia’s economic and supply chain issues (and sanctions). They claimed a prototype by 2024, but it hasn’t materialized publicly. If it does proceed, Su-75 could be a rival offering in the late 2020s for countries that can’t get Western stealth fighters. For now, Russia’s focus is on incrementally improving Su-57 (like integrating new Izdelie 30 engines to replace interim ones) and using force multipliers like improved missiles (e.g., R-37M very long-range AAM) to counter Western jets. We might consider Su-57 “current” rather than “upcoming,” but it’s still in a development/scale-up phase.
• Japan – (already covered via GCAP partnership) but worth noting, prior to joining Tempest, Japan’s F-X concept included interesting ideas like metamaterial radars and microwave weapons for defense. Now those efforts will feed into GCAP. Japan will get a say in customizing the GCAP to its needs (like possibly a longer-range interceptor for the Pacific distances).
• Turkey – developing the TF-X “Kaan”, a 5th-gen twin-engine fighter. The first prototype rolled out in 2023 and even did a taxi test. Turkey aims to field this in the 2030s to replace F-16s, especially after being removed from the F-35 program. By mid-2025, Turkey was advancing testing and secured Pakistan and Indonesia as interested partners (Indonesia even signed for 48 units of Kaan as per FlightGlobal flightglobal.com). Kaan is somewhat analogous to KF-21: likely a 4.5-gen initially (not full stealth in early models) but with potential to evolve.
• Other European projects – some talk of a new Eurofighter variant or specialized UAVs; however, most efforts are tied into FCAS or GCAP. Sweden has no specific 6th-gen program beyond potential participation in Tempest (Saab is involved peripherally). For now, Gripen E (Gen 4++) is their latest.
• Drones & UCAVs – The future will also heavily feature unmanned combat air vehicles. The U.S. has the XQ-58A Valkyrie as a prototype loyal wingman. Britain flew a LANCA drone prototype. France had the Neuron demonstrator. These unmanned systems aren’t “fighters” per se but will work in concert with fighters to extend capabilities. By late 2020s, expect these to become operational force multipliers.

In conclusion, by the mid-late 2030s the air combat landscape will likely include: American NGAD fighters (6th-gen) entering service, allied Tempest/GCAP 6th-gen fighters not far behind, upgraded F-35s (maybe an “F-35 Block 5+” with much improved features) still in huge numbers, Russian Su-57s and derivatives (if production continues) and possibly a Checkmate if they find export customers, Chinese J-20s and J-35s in meaningful numbers, plus potentially a Chinese 6th-gen in development, South Korea’s KF-21 fully operational (maybe a stealthier Block III by then), India’s AMCA hopefully flying (if not in squadron service by then, at least testing), and a variety of drones teaming with all of the above. Fighter jets currently available like the F-35, F-22, and F-16 will each face decisions: the F-22 likely retired by 2030s (replaced by NGAD), the F-16 mostly phased out of front-line Western service by 2035 (replaced by F-35 or newer jets) but possibly still used by smaller nations, and the F-35 itself might get a life extension program to serve alongside 6th-gens (the U.S. plans to keep F-35s into the 2070s with upgrades).

As of 2025, we are at the cusp of this generational transition. The F-35, F-22, and F-16 dominate the present, but programs like NGAD and Tempest are gearing up to take their place in the future. Each new project builds on the lessons of the current fighters: stealth is a must, data and networking are king, and range and payload are being emphasized for future conflicts (especially given the focus on the Indo-Pacific). Notably, automation and AI will feature heavily – the “5th-gen” revolution was stealth and sensor fusion; the “6th-gen” revolution might be seamless manned-unmanned teaming and AI assistance in split-second decisions.

In summary, the F-35, F-22, and F-16 each offer distinct strengths that nations have leveraged in building their air forces. The F-35 brings stealth and sensors to many allied nations, the F-22 secures high-end air dominance for the U.S., and the F-16 provides a reliable multirole backbone across the world. As we move toward the late 2020s and 2030s, these jets will gradually give way to a new breed of fighters – but their legacy and the tactical principles they embody (like stealth from F-22/F-35, and versatility & cost-effectiveness from F-16) will live on in those future designs. The next-generation fighters aim to combine it all: the stealth and smarts of an F-35/F-22, the flexibility and numbers of the F-16, plus new leaps in range, teamwork (with drones), and autonomy. The 21st-century fighter jet showdown is only intensifying, and it’s an exciting (and challenging) time for aerospace as we witness the dawn of these advanced programs.

Sources: Recent defense analysis and official updates were used to compile this comparison, including data on combat performance, costs, and development programs defenseone.com nationalinterest.org en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org. These illustrate the current state and future trajectory of these aircraft and their successors. Each fighter – F-35, F-22, and F-16 – has proven its worth, and together they form a complementary triad that has secured the skies for years. With the ongoing advancements, the question of “which is best” increasingly depends on the mission: need stealth and strike? – call the F-35; need air superiority at any cost? – the F-22; need affordable versatility or sheer presence? – the F-16. And for the future, a new question arises: how will these legendary jets stack up against the coming wave of six-generation fighters? The world will find out in the next decade.

defenseone.com nationalinterest.org en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org