Air & Space Forces Magazine reported the potential acquisition, citing sources familiar with the plans. The proposal remains under consideration, with initial orders potentially entering the Air Force’s fiscal 2028 budget request.
Funding would be spread over five years if the service proceeds with the purchase. The size and value of the potential order were not specified.
The Air Force received its last newly built F-16s in 2005 and has since focused on upgrading existing aircraft while transitioning toward the F-35. Renewed U.S. orders would be filled by Lockheed Martin’s F-16 production line in Greenville, extending work at the facility.
The new aircraft may receive the F-16G designation. Their configuration would incorporate improvements being introduced across upgraded F-16C and F-16D fighters, together with elements used on the latest Block 70 version.
Potential equipment includes the AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite, or IVEWS. The fighters could also carry LITENING LA targeting pods.
The Air Force currently has 826 F-16s, including 484 in active service. The aircraft are 34 years old on average after decades of intensive use in U.S. military operations.
Wear accumulated during those operations is limiting the service’s ability to extend the aircraft’s operating lives. That pressure is increasing the importance of fleet replacement as older fighters approach the end of their available service life.
The F-35 is gradually replacing the F-16 across the Air Force, while the F-15EX is also entering the combat fleet. Current orders and delivery volumes for both aircraft, however, remain below the service’s wider force requirements.
A return to F-16 procurement would give the Air Force another source of newly built fighters while it manages the transition to newer aircraft. It would also revive domestic demand for a production program that has continued in Greenville by serving other customers.
