‘F-16 vs. F-4 max performance turn. I once saw this performed live. Stunning,’ said David Tussey, former US Navy A-7E Corsair II pilot
The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft. It has demonstrated its superior maneuverability in both air-to-air and air-to-surface attacks. It gives the US and its allies a high-performing, cheap weapon system. In January 1979, the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base in Utah received the first operational F-16A.
An unusual agreement that established a consortium between the United States and four NATO members—Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway—led to the construction of the F-16. Together with the US, these nations built the first 348 F-16s for their air forces.
The F-16 is one of the most widely used fighter aircraft in the world, having been deployed to more than 25 countries in a total of 4,600 units. Currently, there are over 3,000 F-16 fighters in service around the world.
Bahrain, Greece, Iraq, Israel, Egypt, Morocco, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, South Korea, Oman, Chile, and Poland were among the nations that got F-16 fighter jets.
For all of these reasons, the F-16 is the most successful fighter aircraft ever produced, as retired US Navy A-7E Corsair II pilot David Tussey discusses on Quora.
‘“Successful” can mean many things to different people. My vote is for the General Dynamics F-16 (now Lockheed).
‘Successful because:
1) it set a new bar for aerodynamic performance, an order of magnitude beyond other jet aircraft at the time, and
2) it enjoyed broad popularity, continual upgrades, and remains the gold standard by which all modern aircraft are judged (“Is it as good as the F-16?”)
‘It’s hard to capture how dramatic the aerodynamic improvements were for the YF-16 (and YF-17). [As the famed photo below shows] The USAF would demonstrate the F-16 alongside an F-4, which was a beast in its own right. The F-16 made it look like the F-4 was a woolly mammoth. And then, not only did the USAF buy thousands, but so did dozens of other countries. Huge success. And continual upgrades have kept the F-16 competitive. So yeah…successful.
‘F-16 vs. F-4 max performance turn. I once saw this performed live. Stunning.’
Photo by U.S. Air Force