The United States Air Force is easily the world's most formidable air force ( arguably followed by the US Navy/Marines and the combined Chinese Air Force ). The US Air Force is estimated to have around 4,000 aircraft (or 5,000 if trainers and drones are included). 4,000 aircraft compares to China's 3,150 and the Navy/Marines' combined 3,300 .
Here are five of the most common Air Force aircraft by type. F-16 Fighting Falcon The Air Force has 738-1,000 F-16s in service Type: Multirole fighter jet Entered service: August 1978 Number built: Well over 4,600 (including exports and built under license) The most common fighter jet remains the F-16 Fighting Falcon, with around 738 jets still in combat service (plus hundreds of F-16s used as trainers, F-16s stored in the boneyard, and F-16s converted for the VENOM program and converted to QF-16 targets). Including F-16s used as trainers, the Air Force has around 1,000 in service ( the Air Force listed 1,017 in 2021).
The F-16 is arguably the most successful fourth-generation fighter jet ever produced and remains the most common fighter jet in service around the world today. US F-16s may be fourth-generation fighter jets , but they are progressively updated so that they remain some of the most cutting-edge fighters in their class. As the US is retiring the remaining A-10 Warthogs from South Korea , it is rotating in F-16s whose avionics and internal systems have been upgraded to "fifth-generation" technology, ensuring the jet remains re.
