The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supeonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as a ground attack lightweight fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole fighter with over 4,600 built since 1976. Although no longer purchased by USAF, improved veio are being built for export. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed, which became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin F-16's key features include a frameless bubble canopy for enhanced cockpit visibility, a side-mounted control stick to ease control while manoeuvring, an ejection seat reclined at 30 deg from vertical to reduce the effect of pilot g-loading, and the fit use of a relaxed static stability/fly-by-wire flight control system that helps to make it an agile aircraft. The fighter has a single turbofan engine, an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and 11 hardpoints. Although officially named Fighting Falcon, the aircraft is commonly known by the nickname Viper among its air and ground addition to active duty in the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, and Air National Guard units, the aircraft is also used by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demotration team, the US Air Combat Command F-16 Viper Demotration Team,[8] and as an adveary/aggressor aircraft by the United States Navy. The F-16 has also been procured by the air forces of 25 other natio.[9] As of 2025, it is the world's most common fixed-wing aircraft in military service, with 2,084 F-16s operational.[10]