An Air Force Thunderbird F-16 crashed in 2025 when its engine blew up, as did a training jet in New Mexico in 2024. Investigators traced both mishaps to a "blind spot" inside the engine.

The engine inside an F-16 Fighting Falcon produces enormous thrust, but keeping that power reliable requires far more than ordinary maintenance. After certain repairs or servicing procedures, engines ...

Comparing the USAF's veteran frontline fighters.

The pilot who ejected sustained minor injuries; the $33.4 million fighter jet was destroyed on impact.

Investigators found that turned compressor vanes triggered a chain of engine damage that ultimately left the F-16 without sufficient thrust to remain airborne. On Dec. 3, 2025, an F-16CM of the U.S.