Worth noting that the F-16 is not what the Fighter Mafia wanted at all; they preferred a daytime only fighter that carried only a couple of missiles, while it's

Worth noting that the F-16 is not what the Fighter Mafia wanted at all; they preferred a daytime only fighter that carried only a couple of missiles, while it's evolved to carry much heavier ordnance and much more advanced sensors. However, the simplicity of the design concept did result in a much easier path to service. The initial design was an MVP that was followed on by successive upgrades, whereas the F-35 is more of a program designed to come into being all at once.