Israel retires Barak 1-variant F-16s

The Israeli Air Force has retired the last of the F-16Cs it first received in the 1980s. (Israeli Air Force)

Israel has retired the last of its Lockheed Martin F-16C Fighting Falcon combat aircraft, named Barak-1 in national service.

The last of the single-seat fighters that entered service with the Israeli Air Force (IAF) in the 1980s was withdrawn from service during a ceremony at the type's final operating unit of 115 Squadron at Ovda Air Base in the far south of the country.

“The end of the ‘Barak 1' era as the last single-seat aircraft, which faithfully served the IAF's squadrons for over three and a half decades, was withdrawn,” the service said on 16 July.

Janes World Air Forces noted that the IAF had 81 F-16Cs at the height of the type's service. Its retirement came eight years after the IAF retired the last of 90 earlier model F-16A/B Netz fighters in December 2016.

With the F-16A/B having been retired in favour of the Alenia M-346 Lavi in the trainer role, the F-16C is being retired as the IAF builds up its Lockheed Martin F-35A Adir force.

While the F-16A/B/C versions are now no longer fielded by the IAF, the service retains 47 of the F-16D Brakeet twin-seat operational trainer and 97 of the F-16I Sufa twin-seat combat variants.

For more information on the IAF, please seeIsrael – Air Force .