Clash of the Titans

AirPower09 will be graced by the presence of the F-16 Fighting Falcon and PA 200 Tornado.

They may not be the youngest, but they are still the most widely used jet fighters in Europe: the European-made PA 200 Tornado and the F-16 Fighting Falcon, manufactured in the USA, are the cornerstones of many European air forces. And they are regulars at virtually every air show in Europe. Both aircraft will be on display at AirPower09 - a Dutch F-16 and a German Tornado just announced their participation.

It is rare that these two multirole jet fighters come together for military purposes - the two are rivals on the market and only the Italian Air Force has both aircraft. The twin-jet Tornado is a larger and faster beast than the lighter single-engined Fighting Falcon, which is extremely nimble and manoeuvrable. Whereas the Tornado is used as a fighter-bomber, interceptor and recce plane, the F-16 is more of a fighter than a ground attack plane. In terms of numbers built and sold worldwide, the Fighting Falcon outnumbers the Tornado four to one.