page_title: General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon operators
section_title: Israel
hierarchical_section_title: General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon operators / Middle East / Israel
caption_attribution_description: F-16 Fighting Falcon English: This is a F-16A Netz number 107 of the Israeli Air Force. The Netz 107 has an unmatched combat record in the IDF: it bombed the Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981, and in 1982 it shot down 7 enemy fighter jets (one was a joint interception with another Israeli fighter). The 6.5 killing marks that the F-16 107 Netz makes it to be the F-16 fighter jet with the highest number of interceptions and shot downs in the world. Photo by Zachi Evenor and MathKnight, approved by the IDF censor.עברית: זהו מטוס פ-16 נץ מספר 107 של חיל האוויר הישראלי. נץ 107 הוא בעל רקורד קרבי חסר תקדים בעולם: הוא השתתף בהפצצת הכור העיראקי ב-1981 ובקרבות 1982 הפיל 7 מטוסי קרב סורים (אחד מהם ביחד עם מטוס אחר של חיל האוויר). שש וחצי סימני ההפלה שעליו הופכים אותו למטוס ה-פ-16 עם מספר ההפלות הכי גבוה בעולם. צולם על ידי צחי אבנור ואביר המתמטיקה, אושר על ידי הצנזורה הצבאית, בלמ"ס
context_page_description: The United States Air Force, four of its NATO partners, and Pakistan, a major non-NATO ally, are the primary operators of General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. With the evolution of sales under Foreign Military Sales contracts, many other air forces have also acquired F-16s. Most nations that have bought F-16s continue to use them as of 2010.
  The F-16 is still in demand today, and many air forces are looking to replace aging inventories with F-16s. Because the USAF has steadily upgraded its F-16 inventory, it will sometimes sell older aircraft it considers obsolete as surplus Excess Defense Articles or as "knockdown" aircraft to supplement spares inventories.
context_section_description: The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is the second largest user of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, second only to the U.S. Air Force and its reserve components. The IAF achieved the type's first air-to-air victories when IAF pilots shot down two aircraft, a Mi-8 helicopter and a MiG-21 Fishbed fighter plane, both Syrian, in April and July 1981.
  The IAF took delivery of its first F-16s earlier than expected after the cancellation of the sale of F-16s to the Iranian Air Force. The IAF had announced plans to buy 75 F-16s as early as 1978, and deliveries were carried out under American Foreign Military Sales program Peace Marble I. These F-16As and Bs received the nickname Hebrew "Netz" (Hawk). Peace Marble II witnessed the delivery of a further 75 block 30 F-16Cs and F-16Ds to the IAF. Israel's F-16 fleet was further expanded by Peace Marble III, which brought 30 block-40 F-16Cs and 30 two-seat F-16Ds to the IAF between 1991 and 1993. These newer models were nicknamed "Barak" ("lightning"). In part to reward Israel for its restraint during the Gulf War, a shipment of 50 US-surplus F-16As and F-16Bs were delivered in 1994.
  In a deal worth $4.5 billion, Israel also ordered 102 additional block 52+ F-16Ds, designated the F-16I nicknamed "Sufa" (Storm). Deliveries of these took place between 2004 and 2009.
  In July 2013, Israel began a program called Teuza (boldness) for the purpose of turning some military bases into sales lots for obsolete IDF equipment.  Older models that are not suited for Israel's modern high-tech forces will be sold off, or sold for scrap if there are no buyers.  Old-model F-16 jets are among those being offered.  Main buyers are expected from Latin American, Asian, and African countries. Later that month, Major General Amir Eshel ordered the immediate shutdown of two squadrons of F-16A/B fighters, without any advance warning to the squadrons' air and ground crews.  The shutdown was because of military cuts and the mission capability of one F-16I compared to several older models.  The aging F-16A/Bs were planned to be decommissioned in 2017 with the arrival of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.  The decision was made to advance the retirement of the aging platforms.  One F-16A/B squadron continued to serve as an advanced jet trainer unit until the deliveries of Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master aircraft began in 2014. The final F-16A/B aircraft were retired on 26 Dec 2016.
caption: IAF F-16 Netz 107
exif: {"Image ImageWidth": "3648", "Image ImageLength": "2736", "Image BitsPerSample": "[8, 8, 8]", "Image PhotometricInterpretation": "2", "Image ImageDescription": "IAF F-16A Netz 107", "Image Make": "Panasonic", "Image Model": "DMC-FZ50", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image SamplesPerPixel": "3", "Image XResolution": "240", "Image YResolution": "240", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS5 Windows", "Image DateTime": "2016:06:18 15:18:13", "Image Artist": "Zachi Evenor", "Image Copyright": "Zachi Evenor (C)", "Image ExifOffset": "356", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "770", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "3804", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/400", "EXIF FNumber": "71/10", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "100", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2011:05:10 12:23:21", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2011:05:10 12:23:21", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "540241/62500", "EXIF ApertureValue": "2827819/500000", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "3", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "37/5", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2690", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1192", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera"}