F-18Īt the same time as the YF-16 was being chosen by the USAF, the US Navy was becoming interested in the YF-17. Most notably, the Mitsubishi F-2 in Japan. Due to the F-16’s popularity, the F-16 has been developed into several other aircraft. Since then, over 4,600 F-16s have been built and entered into service. After entering USAF service, the F-16 was ordered, and delivered to numerous foreign militaries. The F-16 first flew on January 24 1974, before entering service with the USAF in August 1978. In January 1975, the USAF announced the winner of the project- th YF-16 would enter service as the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Eventually, these were designated as the YF-16 (Model 401) and the YF-17 (P-600).Īfter much testing, the US Air Force became interested in the YF-16, to replace its ageing fleet. General Dynamics’ design was the General Dynamics Model 401, where Northrop’s design was the P-600. 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.Īs 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. F-16įollowing the end of the Vietnam War, the US military had learned a lot. 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 Basicsīefore we can compare the F-16 and F-18, we first need to know some background. This also makes it much cheaper, as one aircraft covers several roles, rather than several aircraft covering only one. This is more common of modern fighters, as it allows the aircraft to be used more efficiently, with less aircraft in the hangar. These roles might include air-to-air combat, aerial reconnaissance and close air support among others. But what exactly is “multirole” and how does it differ from other aircraft?Īs the name would imply, a multirole fighter can be used in multiple roles. F-16 vs F-18: What is a Multirole?īoth the F-16 and F-18 are multirole fighter aircraft. However, they have never active engagement between one another in anything other than simulations. Since then, many members of the public, avgeeks and generals have wondered which is better- F-16 or F-18?īoth the F-16 and F-18 serve in multirole fighter roles for their respective branches, and often serve alongside one another on operation. The US military introduced the F-16 in 1978, and later the F/A-18 in 1983 to replace their ageing jets.
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