Which Countries Have The Most F-16s In Their Military?

More than four decades have passed since General Dynamic delivered the first F-16 to the United States Air Force. While the versatile jet is no longer the aerial ace in the U.S. Armed Forces' arsenal, it remains one of the best fighter planes to ever grace the fleet. Dubbed the "Fighting Falcon," F-16s joined the U.S. Air Force fleet in 1978, with General Dynamic looking to fill the military's need for a lightweight jet that didn't sacrifice speed, maneuverability, or tactical capabilities. Upon delivery, Air Force pilots discovered the F-16 more than fit the bill, with the jet fast becoming a favorite in the U.S. arsenal.

Now, several generations into its development, F-16s continue to fly missions for the U.S. Military. However, given the general age of many of the F-16s in the fleet and the addition of modern fighters like the cutting-edge F-35 that are arguably more capable in the air-to-air combat arena, the jets are seeing less action than they used to — even as they are also in use by upwards of 25 other military forces across the globe. 

Of course, given that F-16s originated in America and have largely been manufactured on U.S. soil over the years, it should hardly come as a surprise that the United States Military still boasts more Fighting Falcons in its arsenal than any other country in the world. According to 2024 numbers provided by Flight Global, the U.S. Armed Forces currently has 897 F-16s in active duty over its various branches.   

For the record, the United States Military currently has well over 600 more F-16s in its fleet than the closest country. While that isn't exactly unexpected, what may come as a surprise is that the country right behind the United States in terms of active F-16s is actually Turkey. If Statista's 2023 numbers are accurate, it seems the Turkish Armed Forces has 243 Fighting Falcons of its own currently in service, with Flight Global backing those numbers up for 2024. 

According to stats provided by both of those sites, the Israeli military is currently sitting in third place with 224 F-16s either patrolling its air space or otherwise actively involved in its ongoing conflict with Hamas. Given Israel's close ties to the United States over the years, one might've expected the country's military to have more F-16s at its disposal. But that number only puts them a few jets ahead of the country that is currently fourth in the world in terms of its F-16 numbers, which is Egypt. The Egyptian military now has 218 Fighting Falcons at its disposal.

Rounding out the top five in regards to countries with F-16 firepower in its arsenal is South Korea, which boasts a reported 167 of the fighter jets in its fleet. According to Statista, when you include Greece's 153 F-16s and the 136 owned by the Taiwanese Military, roughly 3/4 of the total number of the jets is accounted for, though those numbers will likely shift in the years ahead, as older F-16s are either retired or sold off to other countries.