As Russian and China’s 5th generation stealth fighters jet are nearing completion, some people are wondering how long much longer 4th generation fighters jet such as the F 16, F 15, Su 27, and MiG 29 are going to stick around. But if earlier trends are to be believed, these “old” fighters may continue to serve into the 2040s or longer.<br />Better computers allowed for the integration of the multi-function display. While these were not on the initial versions of 4th gen fighters, they began to be introduced in the mid 1980s with the F 16 C. MFDs are now present in almost every 4th generation fighter.<br />But 4th generation fighters are still rolling off the production line for export. As the U.S. Air Force tries to retire and sell its old stocks of F-16As, Lockheed Martin is still churning out new F 16s (albeit built to a far more advanced standard) for countries like Slovakia and Bahrain in 2018. These new production aircraft will likely serve for many decades.
