F-16AM/BM

Record

Conflict relevance

This is the catalogue's single record for this system. It is relevant to the modules below; each module's Force Atlas shows how it is used there.

Operators

United Arab Emirates: The F-16E/F Block 60 Desert Falcon, built to an Emirati specification and the most advanced F-16 variant exported. · Bahrain: Block 40 aircraft with Block 70 deliveries from 2024. · Israel and the Gulf: The F-16I Sufa and older variants, the bulk of the Israeli fighter force. · Israel and Syria: Reported in the December 2024 strike campaign across Syria; capability context for the Syria module, not an inventory claim. · Ukraine: donated European airframes · Poland and the eastern flank: The F-16C/D Block 52+, named by the Polish Air Force as a service aircraft; a mid-life upgrade to the Block 70/72 standard was approved in 2024. No holdings or basing. · Romania and the eastern flank: Former Portuguese and Norwegian F-16AM/BM, published by the Romanian Air Force as its combat aircraft; Romania also hosts the European F-16 training centre used by Ukrainian pilots. No holdings or basing. · Belgium and the eastern flank: The F-16AM/BM fleet being drawn down as the F-35 arrives; Belgium is among the donors of airframes to Ukraine. · Netherlands and the eastern flank: Retired from Dutch service in 2024 as the F-35 fleet completed; the remaining airframes went to Ukraine and to the Romanian training centre. · Denmark and the eastern flank: Being retired as the F-35 arrives; a donor of airframes to Ukraine and, by government decision, to Argentina. · Norway and the eastern flank: Retired in 2022 after the F-35 transition; airframes transferred to Romania and to Ukraine.

Battlefield role

Air defence against cruise-missile and drone salvos, standoff strike with Western munitions, and the airframe around which Ukraine's transition off the Soviet fleet is being built.

Strengths

Western radar and AMRAAM missiles brought a step-change over the MiG-29 in the counter-air role; native compatibility with Western precision weapons; a deep European spares and training ecosystem behind it.

Limitations

Donated airframes are decades-old MLU stock in modest numbers; airfields and maintenance infrastructure are priority Russian targets, forcing dispersal; the pilot-conversion pipeline is slow; outranged in the long-range air-to-air duel against Su-35s firing very-long-range missiles.

Campaign relevance

Derived: a participant organisation in these campaigns carries a typed equipment association with this system. That is not the same as documented use of the system in the campaign itself.

• The 2026 interstate war Since 28 February 2026

  via Israeli Air Force (Documented)

• The Houthi campaign against Red Sea shipping, 2023–2025 November 2023 – October 2025

  via Israeli Air Force (Documented)

• Israel's Gaza war Since 7 October 2023

  via Israeli Air Force (Documented)

• The Lebanon front, 2023–2024 8 October 2023 – 27 November 2024

  via Israeli Air Force (Documented)

• The 2026 Lebanon war Since 2 March 2026

  via Israeli Air Force (Documented)

• The Ukrainian deep-strike campaign Since 2022

  via Air Force (Documented, high confidence)

• The strategic campaign against Ukraine's electricity system Since October 2022

  via Air Force (Documented, high confidence)

Visual identification

Single engine with a distinctive ventral chin intake, bubble canopy with a single tail fin, cropped-delta wing with wingtip missile rails — visually unmistakable next to the twin-tailed Soviet types Ukraine flies.

Documented conflict use

First airframes arrived August 2024 from the Netherlands and Denmark, with Belgian and Norwegian deliveries following. Documented in the air-defence role against cruise missiles and Shahed waves, and later in strike sorties; combat and accident losses are publicly documented and dated. MIDDLE EAST AND SYRIA. The Emirati Block 60, the Bahraini Block 40/70 and the Israeli F-16I are recorded as capability context; the Israeli fleet is the type most reported in the December 2024 strike campaign across Syria. No inventory claim is made for any of them. NATO EASTERN FLANK. The F-16 is the flank's transitional fighter: Poland and Romania fly it as their principal combat aircraft, Belgium is drawing its fleet down, and the Dutch, Danish and Norwegian fleets that retired as the F-35 arrived are the source of Ukraine's airframes. The type therefore ties this module to Ukraine–Russia — the same airframes appear on one side as a retired allied fleet and on the other as a donated Ukrainian one. Baltic air-policing rotations by F-16 operators are recorded on the campaign, not here. No holdings, bases or squadron assignments are stated.

Branch & service operators

• Belgian Air Component Documented
• Israeli Air Force Documented
• Polish Air Force Documented
• Romanian Air Force Documented
• Air Force Documented
• UAE Air Force and Air Defence Documented