Together, these advancements position the Block 70 as a highly capable 4. The Block 70/72 has an industry-leading extended structural life to 12,000 hours – more than 50 percent beyond that of previous production F-16 aircraft.
Which countries have F-16 Block 70?
In May 2021, the U. S. Air Force had awarded a $14 billion (~$15. Lockheed Martin to build new 128 Block 70/72 F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets on behalf of Bahrain, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Taiwan, Morocco and Jordan through 2026. Peru’s plan to modernise its air force with twelve U. S. F-16 Block 70 fighters comes with a staggering $285 million per-unit cost, making them among the most expensive jets in the world.
How does the F-16 Block 70 compare to older models?
Some significant system improvements to the F-16 with the Block 70/72 models exist. The most important being the Northrop-Grumman AN/APG-83 Active Electronically Scanning Array (AESA) radar set. All the pervious F-16A/B and C/D-series models had the older-generation Mechanically-Steered Array (MSA) installed onboard. A US-approved $686 million upgrade has modernised Pakistan’s F-16 fleet, but strict end-use monitoring rules mean these jets can’t be freely deployed against India. From advanced systems and Link-16 networks to testing-only munitions, the deal comes with clear strategic limits that shape regional dynamics.Pakistan is believed to have 70 to 80 working F-16s. Some of these are older, but upgraded, Block 15 models, some are former Jordanian F-16s, and some are newer Block 52+ models.