YF-23 History

The Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23A, nicknamed “Black Widow II,” was a revolutionary stealth fighter prototype developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s as part of the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program. Designed to replace the F-15 Eagle and counter advanced Soviet threats, the YF-23 emphasized cutting-edge low observability (stealth), supercruise capability (sustained supersonic flight without afterburners), and superior speed and range. Northrop (teamed with McDonnell Douglas) built just two prototypes, unveiling the first (PAV-1, “Gray Ghost”) in June 1990.

In intense head-to-head competition with Lockheed’s YF-22 (which became the F-22 Raptor), the YF-23 excelled in stealth and velocity—achieving speeds up to Mach 1.8 and supercruise over Mach 1.6 during 1990 flight tests at Edwards AFB. Though it outperformed its rival in raw speed and radar evasion, the YF-22 won the contract in 1991. The YF-23 remains one of aviation’s greatest “what ifs”—a sleek, diamond-winged icon of fifth-generation innovation, with PAV-1 now proudly displayed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.