The US military introduced the F-16 in 1978, and later the F/A-18 in 1983 to replace their ageing jets. Since then, many members of the public, avgeeks and generals have wondered which is better- F-16 or F-18?
Both the F-16 and F-18 serve in multirole fighter roles for their respective branches, and often serve alongside one another on operation. However, they have never active engagement between one another in anything other than simulations.
F-16 vs F-18: What is a Multirole?
Both the F-16 and F-18 are multirole fighter aircraft. But what exactly is “multirole” and how does it differ from other aircraft?
As the name would imply, a multirole fighter can be used in multiple roles. These roles might include air-to-air combat, aerial reconnaissance and close air support among others.
This is more common of modern fighters, as it allows the aircraft to be used more efficiently, with less aircraft in the hangar. This also makes it much cheaper, as one aircraft covers several roles, rather than several aircraft covering only one.
Just think about WWII, you had an aircraft like the P-51 Mustang and Spitfire doing air-to-air combat, a P-47 Thunderbolt/Hawker Typhoon as a fighter-bomber and B-29s/Lancasters as bombers! Today, one aircraft can do all of that!
F-16 vs F-18: The Basics
Before we can compare the F-16 and F-18, we first need to know some background.
F-16
Following the end of the Vietnam War, the US military had learned a lot. They realized that the F-4 wasn’t equipped to handle non-air-to-air combat roles, as well as realizing that an emphasis needed to be placed on air-to-air combat training.
As such, after a lot of political maneuvering from mathematician Thomas Christie and Colonel John Boyd, General Dynamics and Northrop were given special funding to develop the fighters of the future.
General Dynamics’ design was the General Dynamics Model 401, where Northrop’s design was the P-600. Eventually, these were designated as the YF-16 (Model 401) and the YF-17 (P-600).
After much testing, the US Air Force became interested in the YF-16, to replace its ageing fleet. In January 1975, the USAF announced the winner of the project- th YF-16 would enter service as the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
The F-16 first flew on January 24 1974, before entering service with the USAF in August 1978. After entering USAF service, the F-16 was ordered, and delivered to numerous foreign militaries.
Since then, over 4,600 F-16s have been built and entered into service. Due to the F-16’s popularity, the F-16 has been developed into several other aircraft. Most notably, the Mitsubishi F-2 in Japan.
F-18
At the same time as the YF-16 was being chosen by the USAF, the US Navy was becoming interested in the YF-17. However, General Dynamics had teamed up with Vought to develop a carrier-based variant of the F-16- the Vought Model 1600.
However, the Navy refused the latter design, believing that it wouldn’t be suited to carrier-based operations. However, the Light-Wight Fighter (LWF) program that the YF-17 was designed for wasn’t compatible with the USN’s needs.
As such, the US Navy contacted McDonnell Douglas and Northrop to develop a new fighter based on the YF-17’s design. The two companies would design, and later build the aircraft together, assembling them at two of their plants.
After much back and forth, the US Navy settled on the new YF-17, redesignated as the TF-18A. In April 1984, the US Navy announced that the TF-18A would enter service as the F/A-18A, nicknamed “Hornet”.
The F/A-18A would first fly in November 1978 and enter service with the US Marine Corps in January 1983, with the US Navy receiving their first F/A-18 in July 1984.
After the McDonnell Douglas-Boeing merger, Boeing took over production of the F/A-18 and redeveloped it into the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The F/A-18 has also served as the test bed for several new systems for the US military and NASA.
F-16 vs F-18: Specs
Due to their impeccable service record, several variants of both the F-16 and F-18 exist. As such, we will compare the specifications between the most common variants of the F-16 and F-18.
The most common variant of the F-16 is the F-16C, currently in service with the USAF, among others. The most common variant of the F/A-18 is the F/A-18C, currently in service with the USMC as well as the USN.
| Specifications | F-16C | F/A-18C |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 16 ft (4.9 m) | 15 ft 5 in (4.7 m) |
| Wingspan | 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m) | 40 ft 4 in (12.3 m) |
| Length | 49 ft 5 in (15.06 m) | 56 ft 1 in (17.1 m) |
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
| Aspect Ratio | 3.2 | 4 |
| Speed | Mach 2.05 (2,531 km/h; 1,573 mph; 1,367 kn) | Mach 1.5 (1,915 km/h; 1,190 mph; 1,034 kn) |
| Combat Range | 295 nmi (339 mi, 546 km) | 1,800 nmi (2,100 mi, 3,300 km) |
| Service Ceiling | 50,000 ft (15,000 m) | 50,000 ft (15,000 m) |
| G Limits | +9; -3.5 | +7.5; -3 |
| Armament | 2x M-61A1; 6x air-to-air/air-to ground missiles | 1x M61A1/A2; AIM 9 Sidewinder/ AIM-9X/AIM 7 Sparrow/AIM-120 AMRAAM |
F-16 vs F-18: Cost
Both the F-16 and F-18 are multimillion dollar pieces of military equipment, but, when push comes to shove, which aircraft is cheaper in the long run?
F-16
Assuming that you were a military, and wanted to purchase brand new F-16s from Lockheed Martin, you’d be looking at a price of roughly $29.1 million. However, purchasing a used one from another military will set you back less.
However, you probably aren’t a military. If you are just interested in flying one, you can find a used F-16 (usually from an earlier generation) for about $8.5 million (as was seen recently).
With that being said, if you were able to find multiple for sale, its likely that you could get a discount.
The cost to operate an F-16C Fighting Falcon is roughly $8,000 per hour mostly for fuel. There’s currently no consensus on how much it would cost to insure a working F-16, although it would likely be quite expensive.
F-18
Assuming that you were a military, you could buy brand new F/A-18E/Fs straight from Boeing, you’d be looking at paying around $66 million. However, you could also buy a used one from another military, which will set you back less.
Buying a used F-18 will naturally be a lot less. Recently, the Australian Air Force sold 46 of their F-18s, the going price? $16 million. However, all sensitive military equipment was removed.
If you were planning on buying multiple F-18s (for whatever reason) it is highly probably that you will be able to negotiate a lower figure from the RAAF or another seller.
The F-18 is not only more expensive to buy, but also a lot more expensive to operate per hour. According to the US military, it costs $24,400 per operating hour to operate. Insurance will also be pricey.
F-16 vs F-18: Operations
Both the F-16 and F-18 are currently in service and have seen active front line service in the same conflicts: Iraq and Afghanistan being the most famous.
F-16
During both Iraq and Afghanistan, the F-16 was used from airfields both in Iraq/Afghanistan and from airfields in other nearby countries. Allies such as Turkey and Pakistan allowed USAF F-16s to be hangared in their air bases.
Whilst fighting in Iraq, the F-16 often flew mostly against outdated Western or Soviet-made aircraft, mostly Sukhois and Migs. During Afghanistan, the F-16 was mostly delivering payloads on Iraqi military targets.
Besides just the USAF service, the F-16 has been used in other air forces, in operations all over the world. The US Navy uses retired USAF F-16s to help train their F/A-18 pilots.
On top of all that, the F-16 is also used in the USAF’s very own demonstration team: The Thunderbirds. You will also find the F-16 being used as demonstrators for other militaries such as the Belgian Air Force.
The F-16 is scheduled to be phased out in favor of the F-35A. However, this will not begin until at least 2048! Many front line F-16s are being overhauled by Lockheed Martin to keep them in fighting condition.
F-18
Alongside the F-14, F-15, F-16 and other allies’ aircraft, the F/A-18 was operated from both bases in the country (and nearby allied countries) and US Navy carriers, during bothIraq and Afghanistan.
Just as with the F-16, the F/A-18 was used to take on Soviet-era Iraqi fighters and to bomb coastal installation in Iraq. During Afghanistan, the F/A-18 was mostly used to bomb fortified installations, mostly operated form carriers.
Other military service branches than the US Navy use the F/A-18, including the US Marine Corps. The US Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force also use them for adversary training for the F/A-18 as well as using other aircraft.
Just as with the F-16, the F/A-18 too is used in a demonstration team- the US Navy Blue Angels. The Spanish Air Force also uses the F-18 at airshows all around the world.
The US Navy retired the F/A-18 in March 2018 before bringing it back and finally retiring it in February 2019. The US Marine Corps expects that it will use the F/A-18 until the mid-2030s.
F-16 vs F-18: Opinions
Many different groups of people have their own opinions on both the F-16 and the F-18. As such, I decided to ask these different groups of people one important question: F-16 vs F-18: Which is better?
Pilots
I managed to interview several different pilots, who’d flown either the F-16 or the F/A-18. I was hoping to find a pilot who’d flown both aircraft, or at least one for the military and the other in a simulator, although, I had no luck there.
I was fortunate enough to interview International Aviation HQ Editor-in-Chief, Christopher Harrow, a former F-16 pilot about the F-16. He said this to say about the F-16:
The F-16 is certainly the most agile aircraft I’ve ever flown. It’s ability to bank far quicker than any other aircraft of its time has led it to becoming endemic across the world. When compared with other modern fighters, it is much faster!
With that, I was also able to interview a close friend of mine and former US Navy and former Blue Angels demo pilot, about the F/A-18. He had this to say about the F/A-18:
The F/A-18’s ability to fly thousands of miles non-stop is incredible. When you look at it, you wouldn’t assume that. This makes it great when intercepting foreign jets, especially Chinese and Russian jets- they simply can’t keep up!
Avgeeks
As usual, I asked several different avgeeks about their opinions on the F-16 and the F-18. As usual, many avgeeks were split about which fighter was truly the better aircraft.
The F-16 is more common at airshows, which led many avgeeks to claim that it was the more sought after aircraft. Many other avgeeks claimed that it was a more elegant aircraft than the F-18 was.
Other avgeeks claimed that because the F-18 was seemingly a rarity at airshows, it was the better aircraft. Because you don’t see it as often, it draws more people, and more cameras, when they do.
Public
The US military is the only military to operate both the F-16 and F/A-18. Several allied militaries operate either the F/A-18 or the F-16, often alongside each other, however, no other military operates both.
As such, I decided to ask members of the American public which they preferred. Oddly, the American public wasn’t as split as I’d originally thought. It was more like a North-South divide.
The further north I went to ask people, the more people who preferred the F-16. The further south I went to ask people, the more people who preferred the F/A-18. Although many former military people from the north preferred the F/A-18 and vice versa.
Me
I personally don’t from a country that uses either the F-16 or the F-18. As such, I can’t really be accused of having favorites based on that.
If I were to have a choice between the two aircraft, I would choose the F-16. Despite its lower combat range, it is a lot faster, cheaper and is statistically the better aircraft (in my opinion).
After all, an extended range will only buy you so much- you can buy three F-16s for the price of one F-18. The F-16 looks like the better aircraft when you consider numbers- three on one is hardly a fair fight!
Summary
The F-18 is both longer and wider than the F-16, noticeably. However, the F-16 is slightly taller than the F-18. Due to this, the F-16 is actually more stealthy than the F-18, although not like the F-22 or F-35!
Most F-16 variants require only one crew, where many original F-18 variants require two crew (one pilot, one WSO). However, many recent F-18s require only one crew.
The F-16 is also much faster than the F-18, being one of the fastest aircraft in the world. However, this increased speed, also gives the F-16 a severely decreased combat range.
Both the F-16 and F-18 have the same service ceiling and a similar armament. The F-16 is both cheaper to buy new and used, as well as to operate, as well as being able to pull more g’s.
F-16 vs F-18- Which is the better aircraft? Tell me in the comments!
Photo courtesy of Sergio Ruiz González via Flickr.