Clash of the Titans
This car, mesmerizing with its aesthetics, took to the skies for the first time on August 27, 1990 (now distant). Partly right are those who like to use the metaphor about the rapid passage of time. It seemed that just yesterday Black Widow II flaunted in magazines as a promising aviation complex. Now all those familiar with aviation are well aware that the fate of the project turned out to be unenviable, and to be very frank, the project was closed due to its loss in the ATF (Advanced Tactical Fighter) competition in April 1991. The winner is also well known to everyone. This is the YF-22, later "reborn" in the F-22 Raptor - the first serial fifth-generation fighter.
Despite the fact that the YF-23 never saw the series, it has come a long evolutionary path. Behind the car, 50 test flights with a total duration of 65.2 hours. This is, of course, not an astronomical amount. For comparison, the prototypes of the Su-57 made more than 450 flights by October 2013. And the F-35, so unloved by many, has completed 9, 2 thousand flights over twelve years of flight tests! However, it is unreasonable to compare them directly, not only because "Black Widow" has remained a prototype forever. It can be roughly expressed that the YF-23 was generally the first fifth generation fighter in history. After all, the ancestor of the Raptor, YF-22, saw the sky a month after the first flight of the Black Widow II. It is also noteworthy that even before the first flight of a competitor, the YF-23 flew at supersonic speed without using afterburner, reaching a speed of 1700 km / h.
After being defeated in the competition, two built YF-23 aircraft were handed over to the NASA research center at Edwards AFB (California). Both cars were kept in storage until 1996, after which they were transferred to museums. One YF-23 can now be seen at the US Air Force National Museum in Dayton. The second prototype was leased to Western Museum of Flight in 2004.
Reasons for defeat
Among air amateurs, heated discussions are still raging around the feasibility of abandoning the "Black Widow" in favor of the Lockheed YF-22. Paradoxically, they are much more common than battles around the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) competition, which, according to logic, is more "iconic" in every sense. We are not talking about the fact that the F-35 was criticized, criticized and will be criticized, despite its landslide victory. What is the reason? It is trivial in its own way. The Black Widow II can be called one of the most spectacular aircraft in history: it is much "prettier" than the strange (if not ugly) X-32, which, as far as can be judged, few people regret, except for the Boeing engineers who developed it.
The technical side is much more interesting. And here, of course, the answers will not be so simple and obvious. Let's look at it in order.
Concept. The YF-23 received an integrated aerodynamic scheme, a diamond-shaped mid-wing with cut off tips and a V-shaped tail. The F-22 is made according to a normal aerodynamic configuration with a highly trapezoidal wing and tail unit, including widely spaced, outwardly inclined keels with rudders and all-turning stabilizers. And although both aircraft developed around stealth technology were very different from their fourth generation predecessors, the YF-22 looked significantly more conservative than the truly revolutionary Black Widow. The American military is not characterized by British conservatism, as well as the post-Soviet desire to "save money" on military development. However, no one likes extra risk either. Especially when there is a much simpler and more understandable option.
Flight technical characteristics. Here you need to make a short excursion into history. As we know, the famous F-4 Phantom II, for all its merits, could easily lose close combat to older Soviet MiGs. Although in the post-Soviet space, the "sluggishness" of the F-4 is greatly exaggerated, the US Air Force was well aware of what the lack of an engine with a controlled thrust vector could turn out to be in the YF-23. The extended fuselage of the Black Widow II, because of which the aircraft is often compared to the SR-71, also does not look advantageous in this sense, especially in comparison with the "hard-hitting" YF-22. Even a quick glance at the latter gives him a natural-born air fighter, which is perfect for close air combat as well.
Stealth. Since the use of stealth technology is at the heart of the fifth generation fighter concept, both Northrop and Lockheed have been very careful about stealth performance. On the web, you can find the popular judgment that the YF-23 is "less visible" than the Raptor. Indeed, the aforementioned engines on the Black Widow are a huge plus in terms of reducing IR signature. However, in the case of radar signature (which is much more important), Black Widow II is seen as an outsider. Despite the characteristic design of the air intake, in the case of the YF-23, the blades of the engine compressor can be seen with the naked eye, which clearly does not increase stealth. In addition, the prototypes received binding lights: in general, everything for which the Russian Su-57 is now criticized. Of course, it would be naive to draw deep conclusions on the basis of two prototypes: during the development process, "invisibility" could both increase and decrease. Meanwhile, the complex of measures to reduce the radar signature on the YF-22 is more "tangible". It remains to add that we will probably never know for certain the Raptor's stealth indicators, so it's too early to put a final point here.
Development company. This, of course, is close to pure fantasy, but the question of the developer company is also important. Perhaps it was he who finally decided the fate of the "Black Widow". Experts and ordinary aviation enthusiasts often focus on the vast experience gained by Northrop in the development of the B-2 stealth strategic bomber. It's right. But for starters, it's worth saying that competitors from Lockheed had already created stealth on the account by the time the YF-22 was built. The ancestor of the "invisible" - F-117 Nighthawk. Much more important is another thing: by the time of defeat in the competition, many Northrop specialists were completely and completely absorbed in issues related to the B-2 - the most complex military complex of its time and the most expensive combat aircraft in the world. It is logical to assume that awarding the victory to YF-23 could promise problems directly to the US military, in which priority aviation projects would be under the jurisdiction of Northrop. It was not just inconvenient, but banally dangerous, as it could undermine the country's defense capability.
In general, the victory of YF-22 over YF-23 seems quite logical. As, incidentally, the victory of the X-35 over the X-32 - a rather controversial, although undoubtedly revolutionary aircraft of its time. We will consider this issue in detail in one of our next articles.
