YF-23 Black Widow: stealth fighter, almost replacing the F-22 Raptor

What you need to know: The Northrop YF-23, nicknamed the “Black Widow II”, was a prototype stealth fighter developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s by the United States Air Force’s Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program.

– Competing against Lockheed Martin’s YF-22, which became the F-22 Raptor, the YF-23 demonstrated superior supersonic cruise performance, better stealth, and improved variable-cycle YF120 engines. Despite these advantages, the company lost the contract due to the YF-22’s better maneuverability, better thrust vectoring, and Lockheed Martin’s effective marketing.

-Only two YF-23 prototypes were built; both are now on display in museums across the US, preserving the legacy of what could have been a game-changer.

Advanced tactical fighter YF-23 Black Widow: what could have been

To the current generation of United States Air Force (USAF) fighter pilots Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor The fifth-generation stealth fighter probably feels like it’s been around forever, so its existence in the U.S. Air Force’s jet fighter arsenal may seem a foregone conclusion.

However, those of us who are part of Generation X or older may remember that back in the late 1980s and early 1990s there was a competing design from NorthropNow Northrop GrummanThis gave the then-YF-22 a chance to win an Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) contract for the US Air Force.

Meet the Northrop YF-23, informally nicknamed the “Black Widow II.”

Northrup YF-23 ATF Manta Early History and Specifications

The YF-23 made its first flight on August 27, 1990. Meanwhile, the ATF program originates in 1981in which the program’s brain trust developed the concept of an air superiority fighter to replace the then McDonnell Douglas, now Boeing. F-15 Eagleand thus put the Air Force in a better position to counter emerging threats from the then newfangled Mikoyan system in the Soviet Union. MiG-29 “Opora” And Dry Su-27 “Flanker” fourth generation fighters.

History has shown that the Eagle can handle the Fulcrum very well in real air-to-air combat. By 1986, the Air Force had narrowed the list of contenders for the ATF to two candidates: Lockheed, through a merger with Boeing and General Dynamics. formation of the YF-22 and Northrop team along with McDonnell Douglas with the YF-23.

The YF-23 had the following characteristics and main characteristics:

Fuselage length: 67 ft 5 in (20.55 m)

Wingspan: 43 ft 7 in (13.28 m)

Height: 13 ft 11 in (4.24 m)

Empty weight: 32,000 lb (14,515 kg)

Gross weight: takeoff weight 64,000 lb (29,030 kg), combat weight 51,320 lb (23,280 kg).

Powerplant: 2 × General Electric YF120 turbofan engines with afterburner, 23,500 lb (105 kN) thrust each dry, 30,000 or 35,000 lb (130 or 160 kN) with afterburner.

Maximum flight speed: Mach 2.2 (1,450 mph, 2,335 km/h) at high altitude.

Combat range: 651–695 miles (750–800 miles, 1,210–1,290 km)

Service ceiling: 65,000 ft (20,000 m)

g-limits: +7.1

In terms of weapons, the promising stealth combat aircraft was never tested with ammunition, but was equipped with the following:

one 20 mm (0.79 in) M61 Vulcan automatic rotary cannon

four AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced medium-range air-to-air missile; nicknamed “Slammer”) active radar-guided missiles or AIM-7 Sparrow Semi-active, radar-guided, medium-range air-to-air missiles.

two AIM-9 Sidewinder Short-range infrared (IR, also known as heat-seeking air-to-air missiles)

A total of two YF-23 prototypes were built. The same goes for the YF-22 prototypes.

Performance…and what went wrong

The YF-23 received the unofficial nickname “Black Widow” for two reasons:

1. in honor of the P-61 Black Widow night fighter from World War II.

2. The first of two prototypes briefly had a red hourglass painted on the Ram’s air intake to prevent injury to the ground crew, which resembled the distinctive markings on the underside of a venomous black widow spider.

As for the head-to-head rivalry between Black Widow II and the upcoming dynamic duo Raptor, the former has performed better in many ways, according to several experts in the field. These advantages included better supersonic cruise performance, better stealth, and only slightly less maneuverability than the YF-22 at extremely low flight speeds. Moreover, the YF-23 also had superior performance due to its then-state-of-the-art design. General Electric (GE) YF120 variable cycle engine.

So, how and why did the YF-23 lose out on the YF-22 bid? Well, to be fair and balanced, the Lockheed Warbird did have the benefits of better maneuverability and thrust vectoring. Moreover, as my colleague Stavros Atlamazoglu said indicates“But Lockheed Martin has done a much better job of marketing the aircraft, emphasizing its high-g capability and maneuverability.”

A quick personal note: I first learned about the YF-23 at the age of fifteen from one of my childhood heroes, a Brigadier General in the USAF. Gene. Chuck Yeager (first person break the sound barrier) appeared in a series of television commercials promoting the YF-23. I thought then that if the symbol of General Yeager’s iconic status and influence were to use the YF-23, it would be a sure bet to win the ATF contract.

But this was not destined to happen. In fact, Chuck Yeager had previously stated in his best-selling 1986 autobiography that he had considered another Northrop product: F-20 Tigersharkto become the best fighter of the time, however, this project also ultimately failed.

Where are they now?

Fortunately, both gliders were preserved as museum exhibits for posterity. YF-23A PAV-1, Air Force serial number 87-0800, nicknamed “Gray Ghost”, registration number N231YF, on display National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton, Ohio, while a YF-23A PAV-2, Air Force serial number 87-0801, nicknamed “Spider”, registration N232YF, is at Western Aviation Museum V Zamperini Field in Torrance, California.

About the author

Christian D. Orr is senior defense editor at National Security Journal (NSJ). He is a former Air Force security officer, federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and a master’s degree in intelligence studies (specializing in terrorism studies) from the American Military University (AMU). It was also published in Daily torch , Journal of Intelligence and Cyber ​​SecurityAnd Simple flight. Last but not least, he is a Knight Commander of the Order Naval Order of the United States (NUS).

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