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YF22

Although would have been easier to adapt the YF-22 for aircraft carrier operations than the YF-23, neither candidate in the ATF program was suitable for Naval operations

by Till Daisd November 10, 2023

If the US Navy had not terminated the NATF program, would it have been easier to adapt the YF-22 for aircraft carrier operations than the YF-23?

During the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Northrop YF-23A and Lockheed YF-22A competed with one another. The US Air Force (USAF) needed to replace its F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter due to the threat of new Soviet fighters and Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) in the late 1970s, which is when the ATF program began.

In 1986, the Advanced Tactical Fighter went into the Demonstration and Validation phase. Late in 1990, the prototype aircraft (YF-22 and YF-23) completed their first flight. Extensive flight testing revealed that the YF-22 was more agile, while the YF-23 was faster and stealthier.

The YF-23A, also known as the Black Widow II, was designed with stealth in mind. Northrop chose not to use thrust vectoring for aerodynamic control, as they did on the Lockheed YF-22A, in order to save weight and improve stealth. Northrop built two YF-23A prototypes.

After deciding that the YF-22 was the best design, Lockheed/Boeing was given the development contract in 1991, and work on its engineering and manufacture started.

Although the US Navy had abandoned the Navalized Advanced Tactical Fighter (NATF) by fiscal year (FY) 1992, the press speculated that the Lockheed team’s design was also adaptable for the NATF.

But if the Navy had not terminated the NATF, would it have been easier to adapt the YF-22 for aircraft carrier operations than the YF-23?

‘I can answer that because I was involved in an analysis to determine the answer to exactly this question,’ David Tussey, former US Navy A-7E Corsair II, says on Quora.

‘The F-22 is the only design of the ATF program that could have been made carrier-capable. Even then, it would have involved a major, expensive, and risky re-design. It would have, for example, swing wings such that it was compatible with carrier approach speeds, and lots and lots of other changes. It could happen, but it would have been a real stretch and expensive.

‘The F-23 was simply too long for carrier operations; it would not fit on any of today’s carriers. The length of the aircraft was such that it would not fit into the space between the catapult and the JBDs (Jet Blast Deflectors). The JBDs protect the other aircraft and flight deck personnel from the exhaust of a jet in full afterburner before catapult launch and takeoff. Putting the F-23 on a carrier would have required a redesign of the catapults and JBDs on every carrier… a total non-starter.’

Tussey concludes;

‘Neither candidate in the ATF program was really suitable for Navaoperations, ns and no such requirement existed in the ATF program. I do think, however, that a contributing factor to the losing YF-23 was the fact that it was non-compatible with carrier operations. Just a hunch…

‘Here’s a picture of the JBD at work, just prior to a catapult launch.’

Photo by Lockheed Martin and U.S. Air Force

November 10, 2023 0 comment

History

The YF-23’s debut on the world stage

by Till Daisd October 11, 2022

written by Till Daisd

The video clip in this post also includes commentary from the news media at the time regarding the YF-23 and the YF-22, a rival that later evolved into the F-22 Raptor

The video in this post, which was captured in the summer of 1990, shows YF-23’s debut on the World Stage and its maiden taxi tests. The video clip also includes commentary from the press at the time on the YF-23 and the YF-22, a rival that later evolved into the F-22 Raptor.

The contractor team of Northrop and McDonnell Douglas created two aircraft, including the YF-23 prototype, for the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) selection program of the U.S. Air Force’s demonstration and evaluation phase. The aircraft, the product of thousands of aerospace specialists working for 60 subcontractor companies in 31 states and Northrop and McDonnell-Douglas’ $700 million investment in developing the ultimate jet fighter, was unveiled to the world.

There were two YF-23 prototypes produced. Both YF-23 prototypes were moved from Northrop to Dryden after the Air Force chose the YF-22. The two YF-23s had no engines, and NASA had no intention of using them in any scientific projects.

One of the two aircraft would be used extensively by NASA to research strain gage load calibration methods, with the other one remaining at Dryden in storage. But both planes stayed in storage until the summer of 1996 when they were moved to museums. On a protracted loan from NASA, the YF-23A Prototype Air Vehicle 2 (PAV-2), serial # 87-0801, is on display at the Western Museum of Flight in Hawthorne, California. YF-23A PAV-1 (87-0800) is currently on display at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB), Dayton, Ohio’s National Museum of the United States Air Force.

The contractor team Northrop and McDonnell Douglas created both YF-23 prototypes as part of the demonstration and evaluation stage of the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Tactical Fighter selection program, which was completed in 1990. Unofficially, the YF-23 was referred to as the “Black Widow II,” a nod to the NorthropnP-61 Black Widow night fighter from World War II.

Photo by Northrop / U.S. Air Force

October 11, 2022 0 comment

History

The Northrop YF-23 Black Widow II, the super fighter rejected by USAF for the YF-22

by Till Daisd July 22, 2021

written by Till Daisd

There are still rumors that a clandestine strike version of the YF-23 was created to perform a function comparable to the F-111

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) was prompted to look for a replacement for the F-15 Eagle air dominance fighter in the late 1970s as a result of a new generation of Soviet fighters and Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs).

Due to this, the USAF awarded demonstration contracts to two rival industry teams in 1986: Lockheed-Boeing-General Dynamics (whose proposal was the YF-22A) and Northrop-McDonnell Douglas (whose proposal was the YF-23A), who would have competed for one against the other in the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program.

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The Northrop YF-23A was created to satisfy the USAF’s requirements for supercruise, survivability, and ease of maintenance. The Pratt & Whitney YF119-PW-100L and the General Electric YF120 engines were vying against one another to meet the latter criterion. These new engines, known as Augmented Turbofans, would have allowed the YF-22 and YF-23 to fly supersonic without utilizing the afterburner, conserving fuel and enhancing their combat effectiveness and range.

The first YF-23 (series number 87-0800), Prototype Air Vehicle 1 (PAV-1), was unveiled on June 22, 1990, and Alfred “Paul” Metz piloted it for its 50-minute maiden flight on August 27. The second YF-23 (serial number 87-0801, PAV-2) had its first flight on October 26, piloted by Jim Sandberg. The first plane had a charcoal gray paint job and the unofficial names “Spider” and “Black Widow II,” the latter after the Northrop P-61 Black Widow from World War II because it had a red hourglass marking similar to the one on the underside of the black widow spider before Northrop management ordered it removed. The second prototype, known as “Gray Ghost,” had General Electric YF120 engines and was painted in two different tones of gray.

The YF-23 placed a strong emphasis on stealth features; Northrop decided against adopting thrust vectoring for aerodynamic control, as was done on the Lockheed YF-22A, in order to save weight and boost stealth.

On September 18, 1990, the Pratt & Whitney-powered first YF-23 supercruised at Mach 1.43, and on November 29, 1990, the General Electric-powered second YF-23 reached Mach 1.6. In contrast, the YF-22’s supercruise speed was Mach 1.58. With afterburners, the YF-23 was tested to a top speed of Mach 1.8 and a maximum angle of attack of 25°. Although reports claim a top speed greater than Mach 2 at altitude and a supercruise speed greater than Mach 1.6, the top speed is classified.

The weapons bay of the aircraft was set up for weapon launch and used to test the acoustics of the weapons bay, but no missiles were actually launched; instead, Lockheed successfully launched AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles from its YF-22 demonstration aircraft.

On November 30, 1990, PAV-1 carried out a quick-fire combat exercise with six flights spread over ten hours. The two YF-23s flew 50 times for a total of 65.2 hours of flight testing as of December. The tests confirmed Northrop’s predictions for the YF-23’s performance values: the YF-23 was faster and more stealthy, but the YF-22 was more agile.

The two contractor teams presented evaluation findings along with their proposals in December 1990, and Secretary of the Air Force Donald Rice declared on April 23, 1991, that the YF-22 was the victor and that the YF119 would be used as the F-22’s engine instead of the YF120. The designs from Lockheed and Pratt & Whitney received higher marks for their technical merits, were judged to have fewer risks, and had better program management.

After the competition, both YF-23s were sent to NASA’s Dryden Flying Research Center at Edwards AFB in California without their engines. NASA had intended to utilize one of the aircraft to explore methods for calibrating expected loads to evaluate flight results, but this did not happen.

Up until mid-1996, both YF-23 airframes were in storage before being moved to museums.

In 2004, Northrop Grumman made a noteworthy proposal for a bomber based on the YF-23 to satisfy a USAF requirement for an interim bomber, for which the FB-22 and B-1R were also in the running. When the Quadrennial Defense Review preferred a long-range bomber with a far larger range, which developed into the Next-Generation Bomber program and then became the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) heavy bomber program, the opportunity for the YF-23 to serve in this role was lost in 2006. Northrop-Grumman ultimately prevailed in the LRS-B competition with its B-21 Raider.

While the YF-23A PAV-2, AF ser. no. 87-0801, is on display at the Western Museum of Flight at Torrance Airport in Torrance, California, the YF-23A PAV-1, Air Force serial number 87-0800, is currently on display in the Research and Development hangar of the National Museum of the United States Air Force close to Dayton, Ohio.

However, as stated by Air Forces Monthly Publication Stealth Operation Declassified, there are still suspicions that a classified strike variant of the YF-23 was created to perform a duty comparable to that of the F-111 despite the fact that the two prototypes were decommissioned.

Source: U.S. Air Force

Photo by U.S. Air Force

July 22, 2021 0 comment