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 ...

The Block 72 F-16s include new engines that are well-suited to hot conditions—a common feature of the Moroccan landscape, and the most likely terrain in a future regional clash.

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.

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. By Matt White ...