Northrop YF-23 - Foton och Video

Northrop YF-23a
Land	Usa
Roll	Stealth fighter teknik demonstrator
Första flygningen	27 augusti 1990
Byggd	2

The Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 var en amerikansk ensitsig, tvåmotorig stealth-stridsflygplansteknikdemonstrator designad för USA:s flygvapen (USAF). Designen var finalist i USAF:s Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) tävling, där Lockheed YF-22 slogs om ett produktionskontrakt. Två prototyper av YF-23 byggdes, med smeknamnen "Black Widow II" och "Gray Ghost".

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Northrop YF-23 Walk Around
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YF-23 Black Widow II Walk Around
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The Master of High-Altitude Stealth

Den Northrop YF-23 was a prototype fifth-generation fighter developed for the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition. Competing against the Lockheed YF-22 (the future F-22 Raptor), the YF-23 was designed with a focus on extreme stealth Och high-speed supercruise. While the YF-22 was more agile in a dogfight, many aviation experts argue the YF-23 was the superior “ghost” aircraft—faster and harder to detect on radar. Ultimately, it lost the competition in 1991, but it remains one of the most futuristic aircraft ever flown.

Attribute	Technical Specification (YF-23)
Roll	Stealth Air Superiority Fighter
besättning	1 (Pilot)
First Flight	August 27, 1990
Kraftverk	2 × Pratt & Whitney YF119 or General Electric YF120
Maximum Speed	Mach 2.2+ (1,450+ mph)
Supercruise	Mach 1.6+ (Without afterburner)
Combat Radius	750–800 nmi
Armament (Planned)	1 × 20mm M61 Vulcan; 4 × AIM-120 AMRAAM; 2 × AIM-9 Sidewinder

Revolutionary Stealth Engineering

Diamond Wing Planform: The YF-23 utilized a unique diamond-shaped wing that reduced radar cross-section while providing excellent lift at high speeds. This design avoided the need for separate horizontal stabilizers, combining them into two massive “all-moving” V-tails.
Serpantine Inlets: To hide the highly reflective engine fan blades from enemy radar, Northrop designed “S-duct” air intakes. These curved ducts ensured that radar waves could not travel directly to the engine face.
Infrared Masking: One of the YF-23’s greatest innovations was placing the engines on the top of the fuselage. The exhaust flowed over specialized heat-ablative tiles (derived from the Space Shuttle), which cooled the gases rapidly to hide the plane from heat-seeking missiles.
Weapon Internalization: To maintain its stealth profile, all weapons were stored in a single large internal bay. This prevented the “drag” and radar reflections caused by external missiles.

The ATF Competition and Legacy

Speed vs. Agility: The Air Force chose the YF-22 largely because it featured thrust-vectoring nozzles, making it more maneuverable in close-range combat. The YF-23 was faster and stealthier but was seen as a higher-risk design with less emphasis on dogfighting.
The Prototypes: Only two were built: PAV-1 (The “Black Widow II,” painted charcoal) and PAV-2 (The “Gray Ghost”). PAV-1 used P&W engines, while PAV-2 used the more powerful variable-cycle GE engines.
Supercruise King: During testing, the YF-23 demonstrated an incredible ability to sustain supersonic speeds without using fuel-hungry afterburners, a feat that would have allowed it to cross battlefields faster than any contemporary threat.
Where are they now? Both prototypes are preserved. PAV-1 is at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Ohio, and PAV-2 is at the Västra flygmuseet in California.