Over a half century after the inception of the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, it remains a world standard other fighters struggle to match.
By the 1970s, fighter jets had grown heavy, cumbersome, and no longer capable of the high-speed maneuverability that wins dogfights. General Dynamics (now part of Lockheed Martin) proposed an agile, lightweight fighter that would become one of the quickest and most lethal aircraft in the sky: the F-16 Fighting Falcon. In addition to extreme maneuverability, it featured a blended-wing body that increased lift, advanced fly-by-wire controls, and a more survivable ejection seat.
The Fighting Falcon’s top speed of Mach 2+ and its quick-strike capability earned it the nickname of «Viper.» In time, its role would grow beyond air-to-air fighting to include ground attack and close air support. And despite all this, it was relatively cheap. It was exported to more than two dozen countries, with over 4,500 built. But time moves on, aviation technology advances steadily, and the F-16 now operates in a world with potent rivals.
To determine which jets can hold their own against one of the most iconic fighter jets ever built, we’ll look at aircraft that feature low weight, high speed, extreme maneuverability, multi-role capability, or a combination of these characteristics. In addition, these jets must feature modern avionics and weaponry to rival the Viper. And while alliances change and it’s possible that an F-16 could find itself facing an American-built jet — for example, Iran flies U.S.-built F-14 Tomcats that it bought when it was a U.S. ally in the 1970s — the Viper’s most likely foes will be foreign, so we’ll limit our scope to fighters from countries other than the United States.Eurofighter Typhoon
The Typhoon was built for maneuverability and serves as a multi-role fighter, much like the F-16. Many consider the Eurofighter Typhoon to be one of the best fighters ever built. Its construction consists largely of carbon fiber, giving it stealth characteristics since there are few metal surfaces to reflect radar. Its delta-wing design increases lift, similarly to the F-16’s blended-wing design, while its forward canards give the Typhoon tremendous agility. Fly-by-wire controls, advanced avionics and weapons, and a greater than 1:1 thrust-to-weight ratio make it fast and deadly.
The Typhoon is a twin-engine fighter, whereas the F-16 features a single engine, giving the Typhoon a slight edge in top speed at Mach 2.35. The Typhoon offers 13 hardpoints for weapons versus nine on the Viper, although they both offer advanced weaponry for both air-to-air and air-to-ground combat. The F-16’s cannon can fire a blistering 6,000 rounds per minute, compared to the Eurofighter’s 1,600 rounds per minute. The F-16 is significantly less expensive, with some versions costing approximately one-quarter of the price of a Typhoon.
The Typhoon is also a complicated jet to operate and has been built in small numbers compared to the F-16. A Ukrainian pilot interviewed by Sky News gave his opinion of which jet he would prefer for his country’s fight against Russia, and he concluded that the F-16 offers a much better supply chain for parts and weapons due to the vast numbers of F-16s that have been built.
