The F-35 is supposed to be the world’s most advanced fighter jet. It is supposed to replace every other aircraft in a modern air force’s fleet, including the F-16. This has caused many to wonder which is better- the F-16 and F-35?
In recent years, the cost of the F-35 has skyrocketed, combined with several other issues regarding the F-35, has caused many to say that we should modify existing F-16 fleets rather than buy a relatively untested aircraft.
F-16 vs F-35: What is a Fighter Jet?
Today, the term “fighter jet” is used quite a lot. Mostly, it is used as a blanket term for military aircraft, both by the media and general public. However, this is not really true, at least not in a military sense, anyway.
This misconception is mostly thanks to military aviation-themed movies, such as Top Gun. Thanks to the popularity of these movies, many people believe that they are an expert on military aircraft and the military in general.
The term “fighter jet” is the modern variation on the term “fighter aircraft”. This term was first coined (unofficially) during WWI. By WWII, this term had become very common, and the first official “fighter planes” were born.
Among these were famed WWII aircraft such as the Yak-3, Bf.109, Zero, Spitfire and P-51 Mustang. However, these aircraft had one set role: fly to the other’s base/country and engage their fighters whilst your bombers decimated their base/cities.
For other roles, other aircraft, such as interceptors, fighter-bombers and night fighters were specifically designed to do that task.
With the onset of the Cold War, the East and the West strayed into the other’s airspace. Here, the two sides couldn’t engage in open conflict, as such, many of these aircraft had multiple roles.
Traditionally “fighter” aircraft soon also had interceptor roles. Over time, roles such as fighter-bomber, light bomber and night fighter, among others, were added. Today, one “fighter” jet can do the job of three aircraft in the 1950’s!
F-16 vs F-35: Basics
Before we can actually compare the F-16 and F-35 to one another, we first need to know why
F-16
Whilst it was a complete and utter failure for the US, Vietnam was one of the most eye-opening conflicts for the US military in decades. Vietnam proved that Korean War-era fighter tactics were too old to be effective.
However, second and third generation jet fighters, then in use with the USAF, had been designed with these Korean War-era tactics in mind. This made them incompatible with whatever new tactics were developed.
Seeing this, the USAF launched the F-X program, which produced the F-15. Initially, the USAF was content with the F-15 to be its primary fighter, however, USAF brass understood that the F-15 would be ill-prepared for shorter missions.
As such, the Lightweight Fighter program was launched. This program aimed to create an aircraft that was much lighter, and faster than the bulky, armored F-15. General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman answered the call…
General Dynamics produced the XF-16, whilst Northrop Grumman produced the XF-17. After much testing, by both the USAF and US Navy, the XF-16 was announced as the winner, entering service as the F-16.
The F-16 would first fly on January 20 1974, before entering service with the USAF in 1978. The F-16 has subsequently been used by a number of other air forces and militaries across the world.
F-35
The late 1980’s were a politically turbulent time. In 1989, the Berlin Wall had fallen, being one of the stepping stones to the end of the Cold War. However, the USSR were still a threat, and were still designing new aircraft.
All branches of the US military, and by extension many of their allies, were flying outdated aircraft. Aircraft like the Harrier, Tornado, F-15, F-16 and F/A-18 were all relatively old designs.
Originally, they all started out by looking at their own replacements, designed and produced within their own country. However, this proved to be too expensive, and as such, they all joined the US’s Joint Strike Fighter program.
Here, the US military wanted an aircraft that all branches could use, with an 80% part compatibility. This alone was a major obstacle, let alone the stealth aspect of it. Both Boeing and Lockheed Martin answered the call.
Boeing and Lockheed were vying for the contract of a lifetime. Boeing had produced the X-32, whilst Lockheed Martin had produced the X-35. Both of these aircraft were designed to be the stealthiest aircraft ever made!
After much debate and consideration, the Lockheed Martin-produced X-35 won narrowly over the X-32. The X-35 underwent some minor tweaks before being announced as the Lockheed Martin F-35.
The F-35 would first fly on December 15 2006, before the first variant (the F-35A) was introduced in July 2015.
F-16 vs F-35: Specs
Due to the success of the F-16, and the F-35’s intended purpose, several variants of each aircraft have been developed. General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin have developed several F-16s as Lockheed Martin has done with the F-35.
The most common variant of the F-16 is the F-16C, currently in service with the USAF, Belgian Air Force and the Hellenic Air Force. The most common variant of the F-35 is the F-35A currently in service with the USAF.
| Specifications | F-16C | F-35A |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 16 ft (4.9 m) | 14.4 ft (4.4 m) |
| Wingspan | 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m) | 35 ft (11 m) |
| Length | 49 ft 5 in (15.1 m) | 51.4 ft (15.7 m) |
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
| Aspect Ratio | 3.2 | 2.66 |
| Speed | Mach 2.05 (2,531 km/h; 1,573 mph; 1,367 kn) | Mach 1.6 (1,228 mph, 1,976 km/h, 1,067 kn) |
| Combat Range | 295 nmi (339 mi, 546 km) | 669 nmi (770 mi, 1,239 km) |
| Service Ceiling | 50,000 ft (15,000 m) | 50,000 ft (15,000 m) |
| G Limits | +9; -3.5 | +9; -3.0 |
| Armament | 2x M-61A1; 6x air-to-air/air-to ground missiles | 25 mm GAU-22/A; 2x AIM-120C; 2x GBU-31 JDAM |
F-16 vs F-35: Costs
After looking at the specs of both the F-16 and F-35, it may be tempting to prematurely declare a winner. However, as with everything in life, money is always the key, if an aircraft is too expensive to operate, it may not be that superior after all!
F-16
When it was introduced, the F-16 was among the most expensive aircraft of its era. On top of that, it was the costliest fighter jet program since WWII, and the general public hated the F-16 initially. However, this has since subsided.
Assuming that you wanted to (for whatever reason) buy a brand new F-16 from Lockheed Martin, you’d be looking at spending roughly $121 million for a brand new F-16V.
However, many older variants of the F-16, such as the F-16A/B/C/D, have been stored and/or retired by many major militaries. With this, many of them have been sold to private buyers, collectors and museums.
For one of the first F-16As, you could buy it in working condition (albeit with the military weapons and radios etc. removed) for as little as $8 million. “Newer” variants, such as the F-16B/C/D will set you back about $20 million.
With that being said, without being a curator for a well established aviation museum or have an already sizable aircraft collection, or with you having been an F-16 pilot in the military, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be able to buy one straight form the USAF.
In terms of cost to operate per hour, the F-16 costs $8,000 per hour to operate. This includes things such as fuel costs, airbase costs and pilot salaries, as well as all the other costs of owning an aircraft.
F-35
As of the time of writing, the F-35 program is the most expensive military aviation program in history. According to recent estimates, the F-35 program will cost $430 billion to build and develop until 2044.
The US military believes that these aircraft will stay in service until the mid-to-late 2070’s (most estimates say 2077, but others say longer/shorter). In order to keep the fleet in the air until then, it will cost an extra $1.2 trillion!
On top of this, the F-35 is the second most expensive aircraft in history, only behind the F-22 Raptor, also produced by Lockheed Martin.
A brand new F-35A costs $77.9 million to buy, whilst a brand new F-35B costs $101.3 million, whilst a brand new F-35C costs $94.4 million. The F-35I, designed for Israel, also costs $200 million per aircraft!
Including all fixed and accounting for most variable costs, the F-35 is similarly expensive to operate, costing around $44,000 per hour to operate.
Due to the nature of the F-35, with it being not only one of the newest fighter jets on the market, but also one of the most advanced, it would be next to impossible to acquire one if you weren’t a US-allied military.
The US, as with the vast majority of their allies, is even hesitant to sell the few F-35s that have been shot down/crashed to established museums like the Smithsonian, let alone private collectors!
F-16 vs F-35: Operations
Currently, both the F-16 and F-35 are in service with militaries the world over. To date, neither aircraft have served in active combat roles alongside one another on a large scale, nor have they fought against one another.
F-16
Despite the USAF receiving the first F-16s, they were not the first to use them. Instead, the first combat use of the F-16 was by the Israeli Air Force in late April 1981.
Here, a Syrian-owned Mil Mi-8 helicopter engaged a squadron of Israeli F-16s. Due to their superior maneuverability, technology and speed, the Mi-8 helicopter was shot down and destroyed by cannon fire.
Pakistan would also use their F-16s before the USAF would. During the Soviet Afghan War, Soviet and Afghan aircraft “strayed” into Pakistan airspace and were intercepted by Pakistani forces.
Between May 1986 and January 1989, Pakistani forces shot down Afghani aircraft that refused to turn back. In total, eight intruders were shot down, mostly being Cold War-era Migs, Sukhois and Antonovs.
The F-16 is also a very common aircraft at airshows. Perhaps most famously, the F-16 is used by the USAF’s Thunderbirds display team. Other countries use the jet for similar purposes including Greece, Belgium and Pakistan.
According to the most recent statements by the USAF, the F-35A is scheduled to begin replacing older variants of the aircraft. However, the last F-16s aren’t scheduled to be retired until at least 2025!
F-35
For most countries, the F-35 is the youngest aircraft in their fleet by a long shot. For many of them, their fleets are well over 30 or 40 years old, with most of them scheduled to be replaced by the F-35 within the decade.
The USMC received their first F-35Bs in late July 2015. They are the first operators of the F-35. The USAF would receive their first F-35As in August 2016, followed by the US Navy’s F-35Cs in February 2019.
The RAF would receive the first of its F-35Bs (both the RAF and Royal Navy will operate the type) on June 6 2018. The RAF’s famed 617 Squadron (nicknamed the “Dambusters”) would be reformed for this purpose.
Both the US and UK operate the F-35 aboard their aircraft carriers. For the British, the Lightning as it’s known, is one of only two carrier-capable aircraft in their fleet (alongside the Eurofighter Typhoon).
The British were in fact the first to use their F-35’s in combat, deploying them from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus to fighting in Syria. Here, they searched for and destroyed their targets.
Israel is also one of the largest operators of the F-35 to date. Here, it is used as more of a strike aircraft, attacking strategic Iranian targets, that threaten Israel. The country also uses their F-35s over other parts of the Middle East.
F-16 vs F-35: Opinions
As usual, we asked several different groups within the aviation community about their opinions on both the F-16 and F-35. More importantly, we wanted to know which aircraft they preferred and why!
Pilots
As always, I was able to interview a series of military pilots. For the most part, these pilots had flown either the F-16 or the F-35. One of the pilots I interviewed had started off as a F-16 pilot, before transitioning to the F-35.
Of the F-16 pilots I interviewed, the overwhelming majority of them preferred the F-16. Of the F-35 pilots I interviewed, they said the same albeit for their own aircraft, rather than the F-16.
However, the pilot I interviewed who’d flown both the F-16 and F-35 said that he preferred the F-35 in total. He did acknowledge why many people preferred the F-16, saying that some of them are genuine concerns for him.
With that being said, he also said that the F-16 was not free from its own problems. He claimed that when compared to the F-35, the F-16 would be a sitting duck, and may as well surrender!
Avgeeks
As usual, I asked a group of avgeeks (otherwise known as “plane geeks” or “aviation geeks”) about their own views on the F-16 and F-35. As usual, this caused a rough 50-50 split, with most avgeeks preferring one over the other.
For many of them, they preferred the F-16, for no other reason than they don’t like the F-35. To them, the F-16 has proven itself time and time again over the last 40 years, and a newer variant should just be developed.
This is because many of them have seen the issues surrounding the F-35 firsthand, be it the high prices, technological issues or the fact that more “superior” aircraft like the X-29 were replaced by the F-35.
For the remainders, they acknowledged the early errors with the F-35. However, they argued that the results of dogfights between the F-16 and F-35 has proven which is superior: the F-35 wins every time.
Public
It’s all well and good looking at the opinions of the people who are familiar with the industry or those people who actually fly (with) the aircraft, however, they aren’t who drive policy: the general public does.
As such, I interviewed many members of the general public for this article too, both in the UK (who only operate the F-35) and the US (who operate both aircraft).
The overwhelming majority of the general public preferred the F-16. For many of them, they have seen the mostly negative press coverage of the F-35 in recent years, which has naturally affected their viewpoints on the jets.
With that being said, a rather small minority (roughly 1-2%) did actually prefer the F-35. For the most part, this is because they have seen it as nothing more than people not liking change, and something that people will eventually get over.
Me
Personally, I was once an F-16 pilot, having gained a lot of my initial flying hours on the aircraft. I have never flown the F-35 outside of a simulator, which I did for about 35 minutes.
Naturally, I prefer the F-16, for no other reason than I spent many years flying on it. For me, many of my fondest memories of flying are those where in the F-16.
Personally, I wouldn’t feel capable enough to say whether the F-35 is a good aircraft or not- after all, I have only flown it for a grand total of 35 minutes. And that was in a simulator, not the real thing.
Regardless of my fondness for the F-16, I am going to say something that will probably annoy many F-16 fans (and yes, partly myself): the F-35 is the better aircraft. Even if the F-16 is more battle-hardened and has proven itself.
Summary
Overall, the F-35 is the larger aircraft. Just by looking at both aircraft, you can tell that the F-35 is both longer and has a larger wingspan than the F-16. However, the F-16 is higher off the ground than the F-35 is.
Despite the F-16 not being designed for stealth whatsoever, it is still relatively stealthy (at least compared to other jets of its era!). However, the stealth-designed F-35 is still far stealthier!
The F-16 was designed in an era where speed was everything, as such it is one of the fastest aircraft on the planet. The F-35 was not designed to be faster than any jet that came before it, meaning that the F-16 could disengage and fly away.
In sacrificing speed, the F-35 gains a far more superior range compared to the F-16, something that many pilots who’ve flown both have mentioned! However, airborne refuelers do help both aircraft immensely.
The F-16 has far more weaponry than the F-35 does. The F-16 was designed to attack multiple aircraft and win, whilst the F-35 was designed to attack one or two aircraft and disappear, at least as far as radar is concerned.
However, as of the time of writing, mostly because the F-35 was only introduced a few years ago, there are far more F-16s in the sky than F-35s. This means that if all F-16s were to take on all F-35s, the F-16 would overwhelm the F-35 through sheer numbers.
F-16 vs F-35: Which is truly the superior aircraft? Tell me in the comments!