The YF-23 Black Widow II Stealth Fighter Almost ‘Retired’ the F-22 Raptor Before It Ever Joined the US Air Force

The YF-23 Black Widow II Stealth Fighter Almost ‘Retired’ the F-22 Raptor Before It Ever Joined the US Air Force

Northrop’s YF-23 Black Widow II lost the Advanced Tactical Fighter contest to the YF-22, and three decades later experts still say it was the better airplane: superior supersonic cruise, superior stealth, and more raw performance from GE’s variable-cycle YF120 engine, giving up only a little low-speed maneuverability. Lockheed sold its jet’s agility and thrust vectoring harder, and won what became the F-22 Raptor. Two prototypes flew; both survi…