Northrop YF-23A "Black Widow II"
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The
YF-23A "Black Widow II" was the Northrop/McDonnell
Douglas team's entry into the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF)
competition. The four-way ATF competition pitted the Northrop/McDonnell
Douglas YF-23A "Black Widow II" team against the Lockheed/Boeing/General
Dynamics YF-22A "Lightning II" team. The Pratt &
Whitney YF119 engine competed with the General Electric YF120
engine. At the end of the competition, the YF-22A "Lightning
II" and the Pratt & Whitney YF119 engine were the winners.
The YF-22 was originally given the unofficial name "Lightning
II", after the World War II Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter,
which persisted until the mid-1990s, when the USAF officially
named the aircraft "Raptor"; "Lightning II"
was later given to the F-35. The aircraft was also briefly dubbed
"SuperStar" and "Rapier".
YF-23
Black Widow II video
Where
did the name "Black Widow II" come from? There was
no official USAF "nickname" for the YF-23A. However,
prior to the first flight of PAV-1, the Northrop YF-23A team
personnel had a "Name the Plane" contest. The name
"Black Widow II" was chosen. In fact, when PAV-1 first
flew, it had the "Red Hour Glass" symbol of
the Black Widow spider painted on its underside. During the YF-23A
flight test program, PAV-2 went by the call sign "Spider",
while PAV-1 used the call sign "Gray Ghost".
The
YF-23A "Black Widow II" was a supersonic "Stealth"
fighter. Along with its Stealth capabilities, the YF-23A was
designed to "Supercruise". This meant that the YF-23A
"Black Widow II" could cruise supersonic without the
use of engine augmentation or "afterburning." The first
flight of YF-23A PAV-2 took place on October 27, 1990, with Northrop
test pilot Jim Sandberg at the controls.
The YF-23A "Black Widow II"
PAV-2 (S/N 87-801) on display at the Western Museum of Flight
is on long term loan to the Western Museum of Flight from NASA.
YF-23A "Black Widow II" PAV-1 (S/N 87-800) is currently
at the USAF Test Center Museum at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
The Western Museum of Flight's YF-23A "Black Widow II"
PAV-2 used two General Electric YF120 engines. YF-23A PAV-1 used
two Pratt & Whitney YF119 engines. YF-23A "Black Widow
II" PAV-2 was delivered in October 1995 to the Northrop
Grumman Hawthorne facility where it underwent some preliminary
repairs in preparation for formal restoration activities at the
Western Museum of Flight.
YF-23A "Black Widow II" Specifications |
Manufacturers |
Prime Contractor: Northrop Corporation, Aircraft Division,
Hawthorne, CA
Principal Subcontractor: McDonnell Douglas Corporation, St. Louis,
MO |
Number Built |
Two: PAV-1 (s/n 87-800) and PAV-2 (s/n 87-801) |
Wing Span |
43.6 feet |
Overall Length |
67.4 feet |
Overall Height |
13.9 feet |
Speed (Maximum) |
Mach 2+ |
Range (Maximum) |
750 to 800 Nm |
Altitude (Maximum) |
65,000 feet |
Powerplants |
PAV-2: (2) General Electric YF120 jet engines
PAV-1: (2) Pratt & Whitney YF119 Engines |
Home |