The US wants to buy more F-16s. Decision soon?

Aviation Week reported on the matter. According to its information, this concerns an aircraft based on the design of the currently produced F-16C/D Block 70, making it the best version of the F-16 in the world today. The aircraft for the USAF would carry the designation F-16G and would also feature an increased fuel capacity (including conformal fuel tanks) and perhaps improved optoelectronic systems. In addition, its value will certainly be determined by the AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), which is already used in the Block 70/72. However, the most important aspect would be the purchase of the airframes themselves, which would be factory-new, capable of providing sufficient electrical power for modern (demanding) onboard systems, and characterised by a high operational readiness rate.

This is the only way the US Air Force will be able to maintain its currently projected strength after the retirement of the remaining F-16s still in service. The F-16G would not come from the Fort Worth line, which produces approximately 150 F-35s annually for many international customers, but from a separate line in Greenville, South Carolina. This line was rebuilt with the intention of producing 48 F-16s per year and, after fulfilling all export orders (the order book still exceeds 100 aircraft), it could significantly accelerate the replacement of old aircraft with new ones.

F-16G – An alternative to expensive stealth fighters

The question naturally arises: why are modern F-16s needed on future battlefields, and what will these aircraft be useful for? The Americans have been trying to answer this question for several years. To this end, the TacAir study was conducted, which considered the feasibility of purchasing light combat aircraft, such as the FA-50 or the armed T-7 Red Hawk. It was argued at the time that such aircraft would be useful for many auxiliary and rear-echelon tasks, in places where sending an F-35 would be a waste of resources—effectively using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The F-16G is an even better machine than what was considered during the TacAir study. This design, with all the planned solutions, would be on par with aircraft such as the Eurofighter or Rafale, and would likely be far superior to the Su-35, J-16, and J-10C.

The lack of stealth characteristics could be replaced by so-called “electronic stealth”, i.e., electronic warfare capabilities that jam enemy sensors. Electronic stealth is already being discussed in the case of the F-15EX, for which American orders are growing, but also, for example, the Eurofighter Typhoon.

As of now, the USAF, when questioned byAviation Week, stated that they are only just formulating requirements and analysing available options. However, there is agreement that new sources for acquiring factory-new fighters must be found, and a study on this subject was published as early as 2025. Increasing the number of aircraft is intended to expand the front-line combat force from today’s 1,100 units to approximately 1,550 (in the USAF alone), while simultaneously rejuvenating the entire tactical aviation fleet. It is very possible that the increased orders for the F-15EX are also a result of this line of thinking. The first conclusions regarding the idea of returning to purchasing the F-16 may be formulated later this year.

Interestingly, F-16 production is currently ongoing and concerns export customers. However, the maximum planned capacity of the production line has not yet been achieved. This is one of the reasons why Poland has not purchased additional aircraft of this type in recent years. It is possible that a large domestic order, combined with appropriate “motivation” from the American government, will lead to an increase in the line’s productivity and the emergence of further technical solutions for the F-16. The price could also become more attractive due to the increasing scale of the project.