The Mystery of YF-23 Unlocked: Hidden Truths Finally Revealed

[@TeeDee-j9u]

I wish they made this the NGAD with new tweaks with it.

[@Chris23lover]

Black Widow is incredibly good & powerfull.

[@Craig52-zq1bt]

23, the better plane, better on fuel and nearly invisible. But...Lockheed had larger kickbacks to Pentagon rats, so....

[@AlexanderHardin-j4s]

Political correctness got in the way .

[@davidgoldstrong8286]

The only reason it didn't get chosen was because it didn't look like the f-15 and was too radical to be chosen.thef-22 wasn't as agile or as fast and wasn't as stealthy, the usa made a huge mistake not having both in service

[@DevinAWhiting]

❤we need the yf23 .today it's is still better then yf22.

[@clarencehopkins7832]

I’m loving this monster

[@garystrittmater8258]

In MHO, I think no vectored thrust and politics killed this plane! It was faster, had more range, and was more stealthy, but the vectored thrust really mattered even if it increased radar cross-section! I think Japan will try to use this type of design.

[@perrytraylor439]

Politics killed the best of these two aircraft.

[@earlworley-bd6zy]

The YF-23 out performed the YF-22 & the YF-23 could do things that could only be done by the Fokker Spider a air craft made aprox. about 85 years ago.

[@stevenewman1393]

😎👍The YF-23 Black Widow is truly a very spectacular cool looking aircraft indeed but unfortunately they went with the the YF-22 Raptor instead because of various performance issues and so forth in flight and weapons systems and so on indeed!.

[@DrsharpRothstein]

Actually from direct sources from Northrop a long time after the selection process, it was relayed to Northrop that, "The real reason we (Northrop) lost the program was that Lockheed had no new fighter programs at that time, while Northrop had the F/A-18E/F and the B-2.” Shupek reveals. “It was in the national interest of the U.S. to keep Lockheed alive as an airframer. We were told through unofficial channels after the competition, that our design actually met the specs better than the Lockheed design." As quoted from Northrops thermal designer John Shupek.

[@keithcharboneau3331]

Performance issues had ZERO to do with it, USAF, they LOVE LOCKHEED AND PRATT AND WHITNEY PERIOD, that is why the we do not have the F-23 and the F-32, instead we have the F-22 and F-35, because the USAF wants LOCKHEED AND PRATT AND WHITNEY, there is no other reason, the YF-32 with the Pratt and Whitney engine was better than the YF-35, with either of the engines, and the YF-23 was better than the YF-22 no matter the engine, but the USAF picked their favorite contractor Lockheed and Pratt and Whitney on BOTH of these programs, the USAF have now become the Gerald Ford of the United States Armed Services, if you do not know what that means, then I am so sorry, but some of you I am sure will understand what I am talking about.

[@boutrossassine9938]

❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@potter3050]

Should've made both and turned widow into carrier bird

[@junkerpain251]

It was a better plane👍

[@ramonpunsalang3397]

AFAIK, the YF-22 had a significantly superior AoA ability over the YF-23.

[@DrsharpRothstein]

No, it did not. The YF-23 was recoverable from any flight configuration. Even flying Backwards! The only configuration it was not recoverable was a flat spin with the weapons bay doors open. The only clear advantage the YF-22 had over the YF-23, and it is not clear if it was true, was very low airspeed and low engery states. A place no fighter pilot ever wants to be, a dead turkey.

[@Craig52-zq1bt]

ONLY because Lockheed has a better kickback program, we got stuck with a second rate stealth fighter. The claim of close in maneuverability of the 22 is BS as these are stand off fighters...that is you never know they are there and you eat a missile long before a dogfight ensues. Lockheed CANNOT keep up with software upgrades and spare parts are three times promised price and increasing daily AND are unavailable. We got thoroughly screwed and not even kissed.

[@DrsharpRothstein]

The F-22 is vastly superior to any flying 'flighter' in the world today. I strongly agree it was inferior to the YF-23 in terms of the ATF (Advanced Tactical Fighter) requirements, but not by that much. I believe it is better than many of the fighters that are on the drawing boards from overseas competitors. Yes, there issues such as cost overruns but many of those are not the fault of Lockheed but of the goverment changes. Example a design production for 750+ aircraft but stopped at 195 units.