WHY DID THE US AIR FORCE CHOOSE THE F-22 AND NOT THE YF-23 | MILITARY HISTORY |
in early 1980 after US intelligence received information that the Soviet Union was testing the MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker.
The United States Air Force issued a request to the ATF program to develop a new air superiority fighter.
Two groups of contractors, including Northrop combined with McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed combined with Boeing and General Dynamics, were selected. Northrop/McDonnell Douglas developed the YF-23 and Lockheed/Boeing/General Dynamics developed the YF-22. Both designs are approximately 10% larger than the F-15 and can carry twice as much fuel as the F-15. In addition, the wing area of the two prototypes is also 50% larger than the F-15 and can carry 30% more weapons.
In the early 1990s, Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager made TV adverts plugging the Northrop YF-23 "Advanced Tactical Fighter" (ATF At the time, many people thought that if an icon of Chuck Yeager's caliber promoted the YF-23, it was a surefire bet to win the US Department of Defense (DOD) contract. But that was not the case
Instead, the Lockheed YF-22 (now known as the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor) won that bid. Let's look at how Lockheed beat out Northrop for the US Air Force ATF contract, to the disappointment of Chuck Yeager and others.
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