Northrop-McDonnell Douglas YF-23A Black Widow II - Dayton Ohio - Static Aircraft Displays on Waymarking.com

Northrop-McDonnell Douglas YF-23A Black Widow II in Hanger 4 of the National Museum of the United States Air Force. It was in competition with the Lockheed YF-22A for a new advanced tactical fighter but lost to the YF-22A.

Entrance to the museum is free.


Northrop-McDonnell Douglas YF-23A Black Widow II

The YF-23A competed in the late 1980s/early 1990s against the YF-22A in the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program.

During the late 1970s, a new generation of Soviet fighters and Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) prompted the US Air Force to find a replacement for the F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter. In 1986, the USAF awarded demonstration contracts to two competing industry teams—Lockheed-Boeing-General Dynamics (YF-22A) versus Northrop-McDonnell Douglas (YF-23A).

The Northrop YF-23A, unofficially named the Black Widow II, emphasized stealth characteristics. To lessen weight and increase stealth, Northrop decided against using thrust vectoring for aerodynamic control as was used on the Lockheed YF-22A. Northrop built two YF-23A prototypes.

In 1991, after extensive flight testing, the USAF announced that the Lockheed YF-22A won the airframe competition. Northrop ended its ATF program, and the YF-23A on display came to the Museum in 2000.

TECHNICAL NOTES:
Crew: One
Engines: Two Pratt & Whitney YF119-PW-100s of approx. 35,000 lbs. thrust each
Maximum speed: Approx. Mach 2 (visit link)

Type of Aircraft: (make/model): Northrop-McDonnell Douglas YF-23A Black Widow II Tail Number: (S/N): AF87 800 Construction:: original aircraft Location (park, airport, museum, etc.): National Museumof the United States Air Force inside / outside: inside Other Information:: Not listed Access restrictions: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Photo of aircraft (required - will be interesting to see if the aircraft is ever repainted or progress if being restored)
Photo of serial number (required unless there is not one or it is a replica)
Photo(s) of any artwork on the aircraft (optional but interesting)

Tell why you are visiting this waymark along with any other interesting facts or personal experiences about the aircraft not already mentioned.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.