The American built F-16 and the F-18 jet
fighters have been in widespread service for decades. These two aircraft first
went head-to-head in the United States Air Force?s Lightweight Fighter program
? when the F-16 bested the YF-17. The F-16 is faster (a top speed of 2,172
kilometers per hour compared to 1,915 for the F-18), and a larger payload
(20,450 pounds to the F-18?s 17,000 pounds), while the F-18 has a longer reach
(a 3,700-kilometer ferry range compared to 3,445 for the F-16). Congress,
trying to save money, wanted both the Navy and Air Force to use the aircraft
that won the fly-off. However, the F-16 had some problems from the Navy?s
perspective. It only has one engine ? a major negative when flying over open
ocean (engine trouble means a lost aircraft and often a lost pilot as well).
The YF-17, which had two engines, was re-worked into a new fighter, the F-18.
Both of these aircraft are potent multi-role fighters that have proven combat
records.



These two planes have been customized by their various operators. For instance,
Israel has upgraded its F-16s with locally built  jamming gear and larger
drop tanks. Israel has also acquired a purpose-built version of the F-16 called
the F-16I. This is a two-seat multi-role version of the F-16C/D Block 50/52,
equipped with a more advanced radar (the APG-68(X)) and the ability to carry
Israeli weapons like the Python 4 air-to-air missile and the Popeye 2
air-to-surface missile. Nineteen countries currently fly the F-16.



The F-18 also has been customized to a lesser extent, since only eight
countries have acquired this plane. Spain has recently begun equipping its
F-18s with the KEPD 350 missile. Switzerland has equipped its F-18s with the
APG-73 radar. Finland?s F-18s had their air-to-surface capability deleted, and
also use a locally-built fire-control computer, the Dlec. The Finnish Air Force
also made the decision to keep the tailhooks ? which other countries have
deleted ? so that their Hornets can be used from highway strips.



Many of these planes will be passed on second-hand to countries that need new
combat aircraft and which are also looking for bargains. This is not unheard of
? Kuwait sold its A-4Kus to Brazil after it bought its F-18s. Chile is
purchasing some former Dutch F-16As. Former U.S. Navy F-18As were sold to Spain
in the early 1990s to boost its force. Italy is flying former USAF F-16s until
the Eurofighter enters service in 2010. This is one reason why the F-16 and (to
a lesser extent), the F/A-18, will be serving for a long time ? even after they
are replaced in American service by planes like the F-35 and the F-18E/F.



Fighters with long service lives are not unheard of. The F-86 was on active
duty until 1993, when the last aircraft in Bolivian service was retired. The
T-33, a variant of the F-80, is still in active service, often as a light
attack aircraft. P-51s, F4Us, and P-47s flew against each other in the 1969 ?Soccer
War? between Honduras and El Salvador. The F-4 today is still in service in
large numbers in Japan, Israel, Turkey, and South Korea ? having first flown in
1958. The F-5 and it?s more capable variant, the F-5E, are also still in
service with several countries, having first flown in 1959. Australia has plans
to keep its F-111s flying until 2020 (not bad for a plane that first flew in
1964), and the United States Air Force is pushing the B-52H until 2044 ? 84
years after it entered service. The F-16 and F-18 will join these others who
had long lives in service.