F-16

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

The F-35 has three variants—F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C—and can carry 2× 2000-lb bombs internally (or up to 18,000 lb externally) with a top speed of about Mach 1.6. As of 2025, the F-35A unit flyaway price is roughly $80–$90 million (B/C around $100 million), with production around 150 jets per year and over 1,000 aircraft delivered. The F-22 Raptor entered service in 2005, with only 195 aircraft built before production ended in 2011, making it a boutique USAF-only fighter. The F-22 can reach Mach 1.8 in supercruise and Mach 2.25+ in level flight, carries 6 AIM-120 AMRAAMs and 2 AIM-9

21 August 2025

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

17 June 2025

Air Combat · Aviation History · F-16 · Fighter Jets · Military Technology · NYSE:GD