The U.S. Air Force is again considering buying newly built F-16 fighters, possibly an upgraded F-16G variant, to address the aging of its fleet, according to multiple sources who spoke with Air and Space Forces Magazine and Aviation Week, which first reported the news. The service has not defined mission requirements or options, an Air Force spokesperson said.
The move follows a Congressional Research Service report published earlier this month that said the Air Force had 1,098 fighters in May 2026, 47 aircraft below the statutory requirement of 1,145. The service aims to increase its fighter fleet to 1,558 aircraft by 2035, with an interim objective of about 1,369 fighters by 2030.
According to the sources, the procurement could involve a new variant called F-16G, described as an improved version of the Block 70 currently in production. Aviation Week reports the variant could include conformal fuel tanks, 600-gallon wing tanks, an infrared search and track pod, a Sniper targeting pod, and a drag chute.
The Block 70, upon which the F-16G would be based, includes the APG-83 AESA radar, a new Center Pedestal Display, the AN/APX-126 Advanced IFF, Link 16 datalink, full NVIS and JHCMS II compatibility, a new Embedded GPS/INS, a modern COTS-based avionics subsystem, a high-volume data bus, and the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System. Newly built aircraft would have an extended structural life of 12,000 hours, more than 50 percent beyond previous production F-16s.
The 826 F-16s currently in service are on average 34 years old and have already undergone a service life extension program. The last F-16C delivered to the Air Force was Block 50 CC-231 AF 01-7053, on Mar. 18, 2005.
“The Department of the Air Force is in initial phases of analyzing options for the next Future Years Defense Program,” an Air Force spokesperson said. “At this stage, we have neither defined the precise mission requirements nor the spectrum of options that could fill it.”
Lockheed Martin said it stands ready to support the Air Force. “Our proven products are the backbone of the USAF fleet and provide the most advanced and versatile capabilities to ensure air dominance now and for decades to come,” a company spokesperson said.
The Air Force has said it is not projected to have sufficient obligation authority to afford increased production rates of F-35As and F-15EXs, which could reach about 100 and 24 per year respectively by 2030. Adding F-16s would add another stream of aircraft to help reach the 1,558-aircraft goal more quickly, even with slower procurement rates.
Sources: The Aviationist · The War Zone