#f-23

"A proposed naval variant of the YF-23 known as the NATF-23 was considered as an F-14 Tomcat replacement. The original YF-23 design was first considered but would have had issues with flight deck space handling, storage, landing, and catapult launching reasons requiring a different design."

"The naval NATF-23 variant was different in many ways to the USAF version; the diamond wings were located as far back as possible, and the aircraft has conventional canted vertical tails instead of the ruddervator with serrations for low RCS and increased maneuverability at low speeds for aircraft carrier operations, folding wing capability for flight deck storage, reinforced landing gear, tailhook and canards for landing on aircraft carriers and thrust vectoring nozzles. The intakes were also different as they were a quarter circle with serrations, with a bumped compression surface. The NATF-23 had an increased 48 ft wingspan while the length was reduced to 62 ft."

"The NATF program called for the procurement of 546 aircraft along with the USAF's planned procurement of 750 aircraft."

"The NATF's internal payload was 4AAAM/AMRAAM, 2 AIM-9, AND 500 RDS 20MM. No external load was mandated, but provision for external carriage of weapons was desired."

May 7, 1991 Testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"The Major Aircraft Review, launched in early 1990 under Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney, reduced the peak production rates of both the ATF and NATF, from 72 to 48 and from 48 to 36, respectively. This had the effect of substantially increasing the program cost. In August 1990, Admiral Richard Dunleavy, who was in charge of Navy aircraft requirements, stated that 'he did not see how the NATF could fit into any affordable plan for Navy aviation.' The ATF Dem/Val flight-testing was accomplished from August 1990 through January 1991, but this had little impact on the prospects for an NATF. In early 1991, consideration of the NATF was finally dropped after it was determined that the F-14 could meet the Navy's air superiority needs through 2015. There was, at least initially, an option to restart the NATF program in fiscal year 1997, although that has since been abandoned."

The production version of the Northrop Grumman F-23 Black widow II.

Concept art of "what-if" the USAF had gone with the YF-23 instead of the YF-22.

"You will notice that the F-23A would have been longer and more smoothly molded than the prototype technology demonstrator that came before it. The YF-23's big trapezoidal nacelles would become more blended into the F-23's fuselage and its engines would be spaced closer together at slightly toed-in angles. Without the requirements for thrust reversers, which was baked into the YF-23 design but the hardware was never fitted, a more efficient low-observable flap-nozzle could be installed and the flat exhaust troughs would get updated heat-resistant coverings."

"The F-23's nose would be redefined to accommodate a powerful active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and its intakes would be drastically changed. Gone was the innovative but high-risk 'gauzing panels' that worked to separate turbulent boundary layer air from entering serpentine intakes. In their place was a diverterless supersonic intake-like configuration similar to what is seen today on the F-35 and J-20, among other aircraft. The intake leading edges would be serrated as well, giving them a menacing look and enhanced low-observable properties."

The F-23's boat-tail would also be simplified, with a simpler overall 'w' shape, with the additional indentures found on its YF-23 predecessor deleted. The F-23A's weapons capacity was expanded and offered more relevant weapons storage than the single bay found on the YF-23. The bays were arranged to carry a pair of AIM-9 Sidewinders in the front bay and four to five AIM-120s in the rear bay. Air-to-ground munitions could also be carried, including much larger weapons than what the F-22 is capable of carrying today due to the greater depth of the F-23's rear weapons bay."

"Beyond being more refined, the F-23A is a narrower and somewhat elongated design iteration of the YF-23, which would have likely helped improved its already blistering kinematic performance and excellent radar cross-section metrics. But still, as you can see in the scaled illustrations below, the F-23 was to be a beast of a fighter that was overall larger than the F-22 Raptor—the aircraft that became the end result of ATF competition."

For example:

The F-86 Sabre

The F-100 Super Sabre

And the F-8 Crusader

But I realized, some planes with the same features are some if my least favorites. The most notable example are all made by the same company from the same country.

They are the MiG-15 Fagot

MiG-17 Fresco

And the MiG-19 Farmer (but this one is a twin-jet)

I guess I like classic planes. Then again, I do love the YF-23 Black Widow II and thats not exactly a "classic plane"

*Reminder, me thinks we had a secret fleet of these

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Me thinks we built a fleet of these Northrop Grumman variant f-23 black widow’s and covered it up and kept it black by hiding the expense in the Northrop Grumman B-2 (as in $2 Billion per plane) price overruns

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https://www.businessinsider.com/united-states-air-force-yf-23-plane-lost-to-f-22-2013-1#youve-seen-the-fighter-that-lost-its-battle-to-the-yf-23-14

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/24911/this-is-what-a-northrop-f-23a-wouldve-looked-like-if-lockheed-lost-the-atf-competition

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Huh?

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/japans-new-stealth-fighter-yf-23-black-widow-ii-78911

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Concept art of the Northrop / McDonnell Douglas F-23 BlackWidow II, if it had won the ATF contract.

Absolutely amazing photos of USAF YF-23s. It's a pity their main purpose is an extreme killing machine.

The Northrop YF-23 or Northrop–McDonnell Douglas YF-23 was an American single-seat, twin-engine fighter aircraft designed for the United States Air Force (USAF). The design was a finalist in the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition, battling the Lockheed YF-22 for a production contract. Two YF-23 prototypes were built with the nicknames "Black Widow II" and "Gray Ghost".