Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 “Black Widow II” is one of those airplanes that leaves people wondering what could have been. Designed in the late 1980s as a project of the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, it was meant to push technology to its limits and eventually replace the F-15 Eagle. Although it never began full production, the YF-23’s impact on stealth and future fighter design can still be heard today in aviation circles.
The ATF program was not looking for another airplane—it was simply looking for a fighter that would reign supreme in the skies of the 21st century. It would mean stealth functionality that would evade radar, being able to cruise at supersonic speeds without consuming fuel too rapidly, unparalleled maneuverability, and sophisticated onboard systems that would provide the pilot with any advantage conceivable. To do this, Northrop collaborated with McDonnell Douglas, while Lockheed collaborated with Boeing and General Dynamics in a bid to compete on an equal footing.
The YF-23 wasn’t exactly a beauty like any fighter ever. The diamond-shaped wings, long-stretching fuselage, V-tail set at an angle, weren’t done on a whim—it was designed to minimize its radar silhouette. The rounded body lines and the weapons bays covered were a result of this, and it led to there being barely any reflective edges radar sensors could detect, and it was one of the stealthiest shapes to ever fly in the skies.
Aerodynamically, it was equally bold. The streamlined fuselage flowed perfectly into wings, slicing drag at speed and enhancing efficiency. Engine intakes were angled to bend radar reflection, but still provide the engines with the airflow they required. With the V-tail, the plane was stealth and stable, even in hot turns.
Two flyables were constructed, each of which featured counter-rotating engines: one with Pratt & Whitney’s YF119 and the other with General Electric’s YF120. GE’s engine was impressive for its variable cycle configuration, which allowed the airplane to transition from fuel-conserving cruising to raw, unadulterated high-power thrust. By virtue of this design, the YF-23 was able to cruise at Mach 1.7 using non-afterburning power, traveling high speeds over great distances while maintaining a low infrared signature due to a cooled, diffused exhaust system.
In the cockpit, the plane was state-of-the-art. Fly-by-wire flight control provided the pilots with direct and accurate handling, and advanced electronic warfare capabilities and countermeasures enhanced the survivability of the aircraft in hostile skies. Displays inside the cockpit were designed to provide the pilot with rapid access to vital information, lowering workload and enhancing situation awareness.
Its internal weapon bays would be able to carry AIM-120 AMRAAMs, AIM-9 Sidewinders, and other air-to-air missiles—all without the loss of its narrow profile at beyond-radar ranges. Even at close range, it would possess a 20mm cannon, a capability that many later stealth fighters sacrificed in favor of remote combat.
The Air Force competed the YF-23 against its second-best competitor, the YF-22, in 1990. Both of the prototypes were stunning, but the YF-22 was chosen. Its thrust-vectoring made it a superior dogfighter, and its more conventional design seemed less complicated and less risky to produce. Lockheed’s experience in its stealth program also provided it offer a welcome advantage.
While it lost out in the competition, the YF-23 was no failure. Far from it—its innovative design, stealth shaping, and supersonic cruise capability established the new model for the next generation of aircraft design.
Two YF-23s were ever constructed, called “Black Widow II” and “Gray Ghost.” They now sit in museums as quiet witness to a preeminent fighter of its time by several years.
The YF-23 story is not the tale of a fighter that was never allowed to fight. It’s the tale of courageous concepts, cutting-edge design, and how creativity can influence even in the absence of a production contract. To pilots and aviation enthusiasts everywhere, the YF-23 is a sweetheart—not for what it did in fact, but for what it might have been had it, in fact, flown as America’s next-generation air dominance fighter.
