F-16 Africa Operators: Egypt and Morocco Fleets

Only Egypt and Morocco fly the F-16 in Africa. A guide to fleet sizes, variants, Block 72 deliveries, armament and combat use, with status labels for every figure.

F-16 Africa operators are limited to two air forces: Egypt, which flies one of the largest F-16 fleets in the world, and Morocco, which operates 23 aircraft and is preparing to receive its first Block 72 jets. Tunisia, sometimes grouped with them, does not appear to operate the type. This guide compares the two fleets, sets out the aircraft’s specifications and armament, and labels each figure as delivered, ordered or reported. Where sources disagree it gives a range and says so, because neither air force publishes full inventory data.

F-16 Africa Operators: Overview and Development History

The F-16 first flew in December 1976, and the U.S. Air Force describes it as a compact multirole fighter built around a single engine. Egypt received its first aircraft in 1982 under the Peace Vector programme, which delivered the fleet in several tranches. Morocco followed with an order announced in 2008 and deliveries between 2011 and 2012.

Turkish Aerospace (TUSAŞ) built 46 F-16s for Egypt between 1993 and 1995 under an agreement among the Turkish, U.S. and Egyptian governments. Egypt placed its latest order in March 2010 for 20 Block 52 aircraft, 16 single-seat and four two-seat. U.S. deliveries were halted in July 2013 after the coup, resumed in March 2015, and ended with the last aircraft in October 2015.

Morocco bought 24 F-16C/D Block 52+ fighters together with 24 T-6 Texan II trainers in a package announced at up to $2.6 billion. Deliveries began in July 2011 and finished by the end of August 2012. One aircraft was lost over Yemen on 11 May 2015 during coalition operations, which leaves 23 in service, including eight two-seat trainers.

Specifications and Performance

The U.S. Air Force fact sheet gives the following figures for the F-16C/D family that Egypt and Morocco fly in their current fleets.

Parameter	F-16C/D (USAF fact sheet)
Length	14.8 m (49 ft 5 in)
Wingspan	9.8 m (32 ft 8 in)
Height	4.8 m (16 ft)
Maximum speed	Mach 2 at altitude
Ceiling	Above 50,000 ft (15 km)
Ferry range	Over 1,740 nautical miles
Engine	One Pratt & Whitney F100 or General Electric F110, about 27,000 lb thrust class
Gun	M61A1 20 mm cannon, 500 rounds

Morocco’s Block 52+ aircraft were ordered with F100-PW-229 engines, AN/APG-68(V)9 radar and conformal fuel tanks. The new Block 72 jets differ. Lockheed Martin lists the Northrop Grumman APG-83 AESA radar, a structural life of 12,000 hours, a new centre pedestal display and integration of the Sniper targeting pod and Legion-ES infrared search and track system.

Armament and Capabilities

Beyond the cannon, the F-16 carries air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface munitions and pods on external stations, and the USAF fact sheet cites up to six air-to-air missiles. Lockheed Martin reports more than 3,300 certified carriage and release configurations covering over 180 weapon and store types across the F-16 family.

Morocco’s 2008 package covered AIM-120C7 AMRAAM and AIM-9X missiles, HARM and Maverick missiles, Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles, and JDAM and Paveway guidance kits. Military Africa reported in June 2024 that Morocco acquired 10 more Harpoon missiles for its F-16s. Egypt’s C/D aircraft have been upgraded to fire the AGM-84 Harpoon, according to published accounts, and Egypt has not released its full weapons list.

F-16 Africa Operators and Numbers in Service

Fleet sizes below come from the most recent figures reviewed. They are labelled by status, and ranges are given where sources do not agree.

Country	Variants	Fleet	Status
Egypt	F-16A/B and C/D, Blocks 15, 32, 40 and 52	Reported 220 to 240 aircraft, depending on attrition	In service; request for new Block 70 jets reported, unconfirmed
Morocco	F-16C/D Block 52+	23 in service, 24 delivered	In service; 25 Block 72 in production, first flight announced
Tunisia	None	No F-16 in published fleet listings	Not an operator; F-5E/F remain the main fighters

Egypt is the larger of the two F-16 Africa operators by a wide margin. Military Africa describes its fleet as the fourth largest in the world, while tranche counts in public sources do not reconcile with each other, so this guide uses the range and not a single number. For the wider Egyptian order of battle, see our Egyptian fighter fleet guide and the Egypt military strength profile.

Tunisia is a different case. A Military Africa report in July 2020 listed the F-16 as one of three contenders to replace Tunisia’s ageing F-5E/F fleet, alongside the Gripen and the L-39NG, and said Tunisia was expected to buy at least four F-16s. It added that no contract had been awarded, and no F-16 appears in published Tunisian fleet listings at the time of writing.

Operational Record and Combat Use

Egyptian F-16s have flown against militants inside Egypt and abroad. Published accounts say aircraft including Block 52s struck targets in Libya in February 2015, after the killing of Egyptian Copts, and again in May 2017 near Derna, reportedly with Rafales escorting. F-16s and AH-64 helicopters have also been reported striking militant targets in Sinai since 2011. Egypt does not publish sortie or loss data, so the scale of these operations is not independently documented.

Morocco sent F-16s to join the campaign against ISIL in late 2014, according to reference accounts, and lost one aircraft over Yemen in May 2015, which the same accounts attribute to technical faults. Morocco also exercises with U.S. forces, including the African Lion series, but the public sources reviewed describe no other combat deployments of its F-16s.

Block 72 Deliveries, Upgrades and Support

defenceWeb reported that Lockheed Martin announced the first flight of Morocco’s first Block 72 on 6 October 2026. The article says 25 new jets were approved by the U.S. State Department in March 2019 to replace Mirage F1 and F-5E/F fighters, and that production is expected to conclude by December 2026. No delivery dates were given. The cited $3.7 billion figure is the sale approval and not necessarily the final contract value.

The same approval covered a separate upgrade of Morocco’s existing 23 jets to the F-16V standard, estimated at $985.2 million. On the support side, Lockheed Martin and Eaton-Souriau Tangiers formed Maintenance Aero Maroc in 2022 for F-16 and C-130H maintenance, and defenceWeb reported a groundbreaking for its facility in October 2025.

Egypt’s position is less settled. Military Africa reported on 17 September 2026, citing unnamed Cairo officials, that Egypt had submitted a formal request to buy new Block 70 jets. The report says Washington has not approved the request and that an industry source considers Egypt’s existing airframes too old to upgrade to the Viper standard. None of this has been confirmed officially.

How the F-16 Compares With Rival Systems

Egypt has diversified well beyond the F-16. Published fleet listings show 46 Dassault Rafale and 45 MiG-29M/M2 fighters in service, with Egypt expecting 54 Rafales in total. Military Africa adds that a request for proposals points to a planned expansion from 54 to 78 Rafales. Our ranking of the strongest air forces in Africa places these fleets side by side.

Morocco has ordered no new combat aircraft since the 2019 F-16 deal, according to defenceWeb. Options discussed in the press include up to 32 F-35s, second-hand Mirage 2000-9 jets from Abu Dhabi, the Rafale F4, Su-35, JF-17 and FA-50, and none is confirmed. Military Africa reports that a planned UAE transfer of 30 Mirage 2000-9s was postponed. Regional rival Algeria, by contrast, flies more than 60 Su-30MKA and about 40 MiG-29 fighters, as covered in our Algerian Air Force guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which African countries fly the F-16?

Two: Egypt and Morocco. Egypt has flown the F-16 since 1982 and operates one of the largest fleets in the world. Morocco took delivery of 24 Block 52+ aircraft between 2011 and 2012. Tunisia has considered the type but no F-16 appears in its published fleet listings.

How many F-16s does Egypt have?

Egypt does not publish the number. Military Africa puts the fleet at 220 to 240 aircraft depending on attrition and retirements, spread across Block 15, 32, 40 and 52 variants. The last new aircraft, 20 Block 52 jets from a 2010 order, arrived in October 2015.

How many F-16s does Morocco have?

Morocco received 24 F-16C/D Block 52+ jets and lost one over Yemen in May 2015, which leaves 23 in service. It has 25 Block 72 aircraft in production, and Lockheed Martin announced the first flight on 6 October 2026. Delivery dates have not been published.

Does Tunisia operate the F-16?

No. Tunisia’s fighter force is built around the Northrop F-5E/F. The F-16 was named as a contender to replace it in 2020 reporting, but no contract was awarded then, and no F-16 appears in published fleet listings at the time of writing.

F-16 Africa Operators: Egypt and Morocco Fleets Compared