Direct proof of use
F-16 Fighting Falcons were directly documented in the Afghanistan theater through U.S. Air Force reporting and ISAF-linked Belgian reporting. At Bagram Airfield in April 2016, AFCENT described 457th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron F-16s as the dedicated fighter element in Afghanistan, providing close air support and overwatch for U.S. and coalition ground forces during Operation Freedom's Sentinel.
Later U.S. Air Force reporting showed the same role continuing. In August 2018, the 175th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron deployed F-16s to Bagram for combat operations, with the aircraft providing close air support, kinetic strikes, and overwatch. In March 2019, Air Combat Command reported a 510th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron mission in which an F-16 dropped munitions after U.S. ground forces came under enemy fire in an Afghan village.
Coalition F-16 use predated the post-2015 Operation Freedom's Sentinel phase. DVIDS reporting from Kandahar Airfield said Belgium's Operation Guardian Falcon arrived in September 2008 with six F-16s to support ISAF, and by October 2013 Belgian detachments had flown almost 4,900 flights and about 14,800 flight hours from Kandahar.
Sources: AFCENT 457th EFS Arrival, AFCENT 175th EFS at Bagram, ACC F-16 Support in Afghanistan, DVIDS Belgian F-16 Kandahar
Timeline
Belgian F-16 operations at Kandahar began in September 2008 under Operation Guardian Falcon, supporting the International Security Assistance Force. By October 2013, Belgian reporting through DVIDS described nearly five years of Kandahar-based F-16 air-support work.
In April 2016, U.S. F-16s assigned to the 457th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron arrived at Bagram Airfield for Operation Freedom's Sentinel. U.S. Air Force Reserve imagery from June 2016 likewise identified the F-16C mission at Bagram as close air support for that operation.
In 2018 and 2019, U.S. Air Force reporting continued to describe F-16 units at Bagram as combat aircraft supporting Afghan, U.S., coalition, and NATO mission needs through close air support, kinetic strikes, overwatch, and precision fire.
Sources: DVIDS Belgian F-16 Kandahar, AFCENT 457th EFS Arrival, ARPC F-16C Freedom's Sentinel, AFCENT 175th EFS at Bagram, ACC F-16 Support in Afghanistan
Operational role
The documented F-16 role in Afghanistan was air support for U.S.-led, NATO, and Afghan-government-aligned operations rather than Afghan Air Force operation of the type. U.S. sources tie the aircraft to Bagram-based fighter squadrons supporting Operation Freedom's Sentinel and NATO's Resolute Support mission, while Belgian reporting ties F-16s at Kandahar to ISAF air support.
The mission descriptions emphasize close air support and force protection for ground forces. AFCENT described 175th EFS F-16s as providing close air support, kinetic strikes, and overwatch; ACC described the 510th EFS delivering precision fire to protect U.S. and coalition forces; and the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing fact sheet placed one F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter squadron inside the Bagram-based expeditionary operations group.
Sources: AFCENT 175th EFS at Bagram, ACC F-16 Support in Afghanistan, 455th AEW Fact Sheet, DVIDS Belgian F-16 Kandahar
