The YF-23 Stealth Fighter Was Almost Flown By Japan The YF-22 versus the YF-23 stealth fighter jet fly-off was one for the ...

Summary: In the 1980s, the U.S. Air Force sought to replace the F-15 with a new fighter jet, spurring a competition between the YF-23 and YF-22. Northrop Grumman’s YF-23, known for its stealth and ...

The first YF-23, with Pratt & Whitney engines, supercruised at Mach 1.43 on Sep. 18, 1990, while the second, with General Electric engines, reached Mach 1.6 on Nov. 29, 1990. By comparison, the YF-22 ...

Key Points and Summary - Northrop’s YF-23 “Black Widow II” was arguably faster, longer-ranged, and stealthier than the YF-22, but Lockheed’s jet won with superior maneuverability, thrust-vectoring, ...

In the high-stakes world of military aviation, the tale of the Northrop Grumman YF-23 Black Widow remains a compelling narrative of what-ifs and technological marvels. The YF-23, a stealth fighter ...

In the annals of aviation history, few stories are as captivating as that of the Northrop YF-23, a sleek and formidable contender in the race to become the U.S. Air Force’s first fifth-generation ...

An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Impact Link Back in 1997, the US Air Force had to choose between the F-22 Raptor and the YF-23 for its fifth-generation fighter. The YF-23 had a greater ...

If the YF-23 Black Widow II was the superior prototype, did Northrup and McDonnell Douglas get robbed in the selection process? The mission was to make the world’s fastest, smartest fighter plane and ...

Jim Smith was working in a technical liaison role in the British Embassy in Washington during the high stakes competition between the YF-22 and YF-23 to provide USAF with its next super fighter. In ...