The F-22 and YF-23 were direct competitors in the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition, evaluated head-to-head in 1990. One entered service and defined a generation; the other became aviation's most celebrated what-if. Understanding why Lockheed's design won — and whether it was the right call — remains a live debate.
Full guides: F-22 Raptor · Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23
| F-22 Raptor | Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 | |
|---|---|---|
| First flight | 1997 | 1990 |
| Origin | United States | United States |
| Length | 18.92 m | 20.55 m |
| Wingspan | 13.56 m | 13.28 m |
| Max speed | 2410 km/h | 1960 km/h |
Both aircraft were designed to meet the same ATF requirement: supercruise capability, all-aspect stealth, and the ability to kill enemy fighters beyond visual range. The YF-23 (built by Northrop and McDonnell Douglas) had a distinctive 'W' butterfly tail and a more strongly blended wing-body shape that most aerodynamicists credit with lower radar cross-section than the YF-22 — particularly on rear aspects, where exhaust management was integrated into the upper-surface slots. The YF-23 demonstrated supercruise at Mach 1.8 using Pratt & Whitney YF119 engines and reportedly Mach 1.6 with General Electric YF120 engines. The YF-22 supercruised at approximately Mach 1.58. In the end, the USAF selected the YF-22 on the basis of: better dogfight agility (the YF-22 demonstrated more aggressive manoeuvres, including 60-degree angle-of-attack testing), a more mature weapons integration approach, and Lockheed's stronger programme management reputation. The YF-23 never entered production. Two prototypes exist: PAV-1 (painted grey) is at the National Museum of the USAF at Wright-Patterson AFB; PAV-2 (painted black, giving it the nickname 'Black Widow II') is at the Western Museum of Flight in Torrance, California.
This comparison is different from the others because neither design went through a completed weapons system development: the YF-23 never had its fire control radar fully integrated, never carried production missiles, and its flight control laws were not optimised for combat manoeuvring to the degree the production F-22 would be. What the flight test data showed: the YF-23 was faster in supercruise. The YF-22 demonstrated higher angle-of-attack capability and more aggressive post-stall manoeuvring during the flyoff. The USAF's evaluation team concluded the YF-22 had better close-in combat potential. Whether a fully developed YF-23 with mature flight control software would have matched or exceeded that is genuinely unknowable. The YF-23's stealth geometry was arguably superior, meaning in a BVR engagement it might have been harder to detect first — which in fifth-generation combat is the decisive factor. This comparison is, at its core, a historical counterfactual rather than an operational question.
The YF-23 was larger. Length: YF-23 approximately 20.6 m vs F-22 18.9 m. Wingspan: YF-23 13.3 m vs F-22 13.6 m (similar). The YF-23 demonstrated supercruise at Mach 1.8 during the ATF flyoff; the production F-22 is rated at approximately Mach 1.8 in supercruise as well. Top speed: YF-23 was demonstrated to Mach 1.8 in supercruise; its maximum speed with afterburner was not published but estimated in excess of Mach 2.0. The F-22 production aircraft is rated at Mach 2.25 with afterburner. The YF-23's larger internal volume was seen as advantageous for future growth, one reason Northrop felt confident in the design.
The F-22 is flown only by the United States Air Force. The YF-23 was never produced and flew only as two prototypes during 1990 evaluation. It has no operators. Both prototypes are in museum preservation in the United States.
Both the YF-22 and YF-23 first flew within weeks of each other in 1990 — the YF-23 on 27 August 1990, the YF-22 on 29 September 1990. The ATF source selection decision was announced in April 1991, selecting the YF-22. The timing matters in that the Cold War ended during the ATF competition, changing the strategic calculus. Budget pressure after the Soviet collapse reduced the urgency for the most expensive option, and the YF-23's programme team — Northrop, with its B-2 bomber programme simultaneously under pressure — may have been at a political disadvantage. Had the YF-23 won, the subsequent development and production aircraft would have been considerably different from the demonstrators, as always happens in full-scale development. The F-22's actual path — truncated production, difficult avionics modernisation, and now NGAD replacement — is part of the context for evaluating whether the 1991 choice was optimal.
The F-22 can be seen at operational USAF bases and airshows. The YF-23 exists in two locations: PAV-1 is on static display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio — one of the world's great aviation museums and free to enter. PAV-2 is at the Western Museum of Flight, Torrance, California, also accessible to the public. Both prototypes have been well-preserved. For enthusiasts who want to stand next to this what-if aircraft and appreciate its distinctive butterfly tail and stealthy lines in person, both museum examples are genuine and accessible.