May 24, 2019
The Stealth Fighter the Air Force Said 'No' To: Why the YF-23 Still Matters
The development and flight-testing of the YF-23 offer important lessons for the Air Force as it begins studying a replacement for the F-22.
by David Axe
The prototype stealth fighter that lost out to Lockheed Martin’s YF-22 in the U.S. Air Force’s 1991 Advanced Tactical Fighter competition in recent years has gained a cult following.
The mystique that today surrounds Northrop Grumman’s YF-23 isn’t entirely healthy. It reflects a tendency in many Americans to look for technological solutions to human problems.
Buying F-23s instead of F-22s wouldn’t have changed the recent arc of U.S. history. It wouldn’t have stopped Russia’s resurgence or China’s rise as a world power. Trading Lockheed’s stealth fighter for Northrop’s own plane wouldn’t have halted the spreads of radical Islamic terrorism and right-wing militancy.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/stealth-fighter-air-force-said-no-why-yf-23-still-matters-59262
