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Aircraft record

Northrop-McDonnell Douglas YF-23

YF-23 · Northrop · United States

Roles
Fighter (Primary)
Era
Cold War
Status
Prototype
YF-23A aircraft. Rear view of YF-23A, official U.S. Air Force photo by Ty Greenlees.
Rear view of YF-23A, official U.S. Air Force photo by Ty Greenlees. Source · Ty Greenlees; public domain; source credit: National Museum of the United States Air Force. Public domain

Reference data

Overview

Northrop primary manufacturer record; the USAF Museum and NASA identify Northrop and McDonnell Douglas as the contractor team.

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Quick facts

Manufacturer
Northrop
Country
United States
Status
Prototype

Reference data

Historical Content

Advanced Tactical Fighter Program

Variant: YF-23A · Demonstrator program

The Northrop-McDonnell Douglas YF-23A was developed for the United States Air Force's Advanced Tactical Fighter program. [1]

Variant: YF-23A · Demonstrator program

During the 1980s, the Air Force sought a future replacement for the F-15 Eagle. Northrop and McDonnell Douglas developed the YF-23A as a competitor to the Lockheed-led YF-22A design. [1]

Design Priorities

Variant: YF-23A · Demonstrator program

The YF-23A placed particular emphasis on stealth characteristics and aerodynamic performance. [1]

Variant: YF-23A · Demonstrator program

Unlike the competing YF-22A, the YF-23 design did not use thrust vectoring as a primary aerodynamic control feature. [1]

Flight Testing and Program Outcome

Variant: YF-23A · Demonstrator program

Two YF-23A prototypes were built for flight testing. [1]

Variant: YF-23A · Demonstrator program

In 1991, the United States Air Force selected the competing YF-22A design. The YF-23 program did not proceed to production. [1]

Variant: YF-23A · Demonstrator program

The YF-23A was an experimental aircraft, not an operational fighter fleet. [1]

Reference data

Specifications

Aircraft specifications

Family-level specifications

Powerplant

turbofan

Pratt & Whitney YF119-PW-100

Quantity: 2

Thrust156 kNapproximately 35,000 lbf per engineapproximate; per engine

Reference data

Sources

  1. Northrop-McDonnell Douglas YF-23A Black Widow IINational Museum of the United States Air ForceFamily-level specifications
  2. Northrop-McDonnell Douglas YF-23A Black Widow IINational Museum of the United States Air ForceAdvanced Tactical Fighter Program · Variant: YF-23A · Demonstrator program · Design Priorities · Variant: YF-23A · Demonstrator program · Flight Testing and Program Outcome · Variant: YF-23A · Demonstrator program