F-16 Deliveries & Inventory: Which Countries Operate It, How Many Did Türkiye Build? (2026)

The F-16 Fighting Falcon was designed in the 1970s as a light, agile and affordable fighter and evolved into a multirole platform able to do everything from air superiority to ground attack. Its single engine, bubble canopy and fly-by-wire controls made it the reference aircraft of its class.

Produced and continuously modernized for over forty years, the F-16 gained AESA radar and modern avionics in the latest F-16V (Block 70/72) Viper. This gradual evolution made it the longest-serving and best-selling model in the fourth-generation fighter market.

The F-16 is the common fighter of the US and its allies. The table summarises the main operators and approximate fleet sizes per open sources.

Figures are from open sources. As many European nations move to the F-35, they transfer older F-16s to Ukraine — bringing the F-16 back to prominence in a current conflict.

Since service entry in 1978, 4,604 F-16 have been built, and it is one of the few fourth-generation jets still in production. Production continues today for export, especially the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper.

Bahrain, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Taiwan and Peru have received or ordered new Block 70 Vipers. Türkiye also received US approval for 40 new Block 70 Vipers — showing the F-16 line is still alive in the 2020s.

The F-16 is the backbone of Türkiye’s aerospace industry. TUSAŞ produced 270 F-16 under license in the ‘Peace Onyx’ programs from 1987 to 2012 and modernized many. The Turkish Air Force has one of the world’s largest F-16 fleets at about 245 aircraft.

Today Türkiye advances on two fronts: the 40 new F-16 Block 70 Vipers the US approved in 2024, and the fully indigenous ÖZGÜR project modernizing existing Block 30/40/50 jets with domestic avionics, radar and software. Choosing ÖZGÜR over the originally planned 79 American kits shows the value Türkiye places on localization even in the F-16. The F-16 will eventually give way to the indigenous KAAN.

• Block 30/40/50 — common service versions (including Türkiye’s fleet)
• F-16V / Block 70/72 Viper — AESA radar, modern avionics; latest production
• ÖZGÜR — Türkiye’s indigenous modernization configuration
• KF-16 / customized versions — indigenous upgrades (e.g. South Korea)

In Türkiye, the long-term successor to the F-16 is the indigenous 5th-generation fighter KAAN. With KAAN deliveries planned from 2028, the F-16 fleet will remain the backbone into the 2040s through ÖZGÜR modernization and new Block 70 Vipers.

In the interim, 40 Eurofighter Typhoons also serve as a bridge. This triad — modernized F-16, Eurofighter and new KAAN — forms the basis of Türkiye’s air-power transition. The F-16 is both its present and proof of how the domestic industry matured.

The F-16 was originally developed by General Dynamics; the program later passed to Lockheed Martin. With export demand, the line moved to Greenville (South Carolina), where the Block 70/72 Viper is still built.

Lockheed Martin positions the F-16 as the affordable leg of a ‘high-low’ mix alongside the F-35. The license-production model with partners like TUSAŞ also made the F-16 a vehicle of technology transfer.

The F-16 is the symbol of the fourth-generation fighter era and still the world’s most widespread combat aircraft. Its continuous modernization will keep it in the field for years.

For Türkiye, the F-16 is not just an aircraft; it is the key platform on which TUSAŞ gained aircraft-production capability, learned localization through ÖZGÜR, and paved the road to KAAN.

Besides the USA, 28 countries operate the F-16, including Türkiye, Israel, Egypt, Greece, South Korea, Taiwan, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Pakistan, UAE, Iraq, Morocco and (donated) Ukraine — one of the most widespread fighters ever.

A total of 4,604 F-16 were built, with over 2,100 still active — making it the world’s most common fixed-wing military aircraft in service.

TUSAŞ produced 270 F-16 under license between 1987 and 2012; the Turkish Air Force operates about 245, one of the world’s largest fleets. Türkiye also modernizes them through the indigenous ÖZGÜR project.

Yes. The US approved 40 new F-16 Block 70 Vipers for Türkiye in 2024. Instead of the originally planned 79 modernization kits, modernization is being done through the indigenous TUSAŞ ÖZGÜR project.

ÖZGÜR is TUSAŞ’s project to modernize F-16 Block 30/40/50 jets with indigenous avionics, radar and software — letting Türkiye keep its F-16 fleet current without foreign dependence.

In Türkiye, the long-term successor is the indigenous 5th-generation fighter KAAN; in the interim, 40 Eurofighter Typhoons and Block 70 Vipers serve as a bridge.