F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon

The latest production standard of the world's most widely used fourth-generation fighter, fitted with AESA radar, a modernized cockpit and conformal fuel tanks. Built new for export customers including Bahrain, Slovakia and Bulgaria at Lockheed Martin's Greenville, South Carolina line.

Max speed

2,120 km/h

Range

4,220 km

Payload

7,700 kg

💲 Approximate flyaway cost, Block 70/72 new-build

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.: 2,120 km/h

33th pct in class
Max speed (Mach) Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.: 2 Mach

33th pct in class
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.: 4,220 km

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Combat radius Distance an aircraft can fly, complete its mission and return without refueling. Roughly a third of ferry range.: 550 km

0th pct in class
Service ceiling Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.: 15,240 m

17th pct in class
Rate of climb How fast the aircraft gains altitude. Higher means better energy recovery in combat.: 254 m/s

14th pct in class
Thrust-to-weight Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up.: 1.1

75th pct in class

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan rotary cannon
Hardpoints External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.: 11

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Weapons payload Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.: 7,700 kg

17th pct in class

Protection

Armor, countermeasures and survivability.

Countermeasures Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.: AN/ALQ-213 EW management, chaff, flares, radar warning receiver

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 15.06 m
Wingspan Wingtip-to-wingtip span.: 9.96 m
Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.: 5.09 m
Empty weight Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.: 9,207 kg
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 19,187 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.: 1

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Engine Powerplant model and type.: 1x General Electric F110-GE-129 or Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 afterburning turbofan
Engines Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.: 1
Thrust Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).: 129 kN

42th pct in class
Fuel capacity Internal fuel volume.: 3,986 L
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Turbofan

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.: AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) AESA
Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.: AN/AAQ-33 Sniper targeting pod, large-area-display cockpit, helmet-mounted cueing
Datalink Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.: Link 16

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.: $63,000,000

82th pct in class
Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 4,600

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Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 25

92th pct in class

Specifications compiled from public Lockheed Martin and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-01.

Frequently asked questions

What is the top speed of the Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon? +

The Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon has a maximum speed of 2,120 km/h.

What is the range of the Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon? +

The Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon has a maximum range of 4,220 km.

What is the weapons payload of the Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon? +

The Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon can carry up to 7,700 kg of weapons payload.

How much does the Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon weigh? +

The Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon has a combat weight of 19,187 kg.

How many crew does the Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon require? +

The Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon requires a crew of 1.

What is the main armament of the Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon? +

The Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon's primary weapon is the 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan rotary cannon.

What engine does the Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon use? +

The Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon is powered by the 1x General Electric F110-GE-129 or Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 afterburning turbofan.

What is the Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon used for? +

The Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon is a fighter aircraft typically used for multirole combat, air superiority, close air support.

How many countries operate the Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon? +

The Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon is operated by 25 countries.

How much does the Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon cost? +

The Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon has an approximate unit cost of 63,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.