YF-23: The Stealth Fighter The Air Force Missed Out On (Mistake?)
Both Northrop’s YF-23 and Lockheed’s YF-22 were clearly extremely capable fighters. Northrop’s YF-23 offered greater range and superior stealth, but the YF-22 used more advanced avionics and had a slight advantage in maneuverability.
While we can’t conclusively say that the YF-23 would have matched or out-performed the F-22 Raptor had it gone into production, we can conclusively say that, like Rocky and Apollo Creed at the end of Rocky III, we don’t need to know who wins to know they both had what it takes to take home the championship belt.
About the Author
Alex Hollings is a writer, dad, and Marine veteran who specializes in foreign policy and defense technology analysis. He holds a master’s degree in Communications from Southern New Hampshire University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Corporate and Organizational Communications from Framingham State University. This first appeared in Sandboxx.
All images are Creative Commons.
