The F-22 Raptor Facts: 30 Things to Know
The F-22 Was Chosen Over The F-23 Thanks to Lockheed’s Ability To Read Its Customer
The F-22 may go down in American history as the most intimidating fighter jet ever, but there was another plane under development in the 1990s that could have surpassed it in quite a few ways. The Northrop YF-23 had better supercruise capabilities with its General Electric YF120 variable cycle engines, better range and, some said, a stealthier design. So why did the F-22 Raptor get chosen for production over the YF-23? A few major reasons contributed to this decision.
The first was Lockheed’s relationship with the Air Force versus Northrop Grumman’s (Lockheed’s was better). The second had to do with the US Navy. The Navy got to have a vote on the aircraft that was selected and they favored the Naval version of the F-22 over the F-23. And the final reason was Lockheed’s ability to hone in to what the Air Force wanted most – a maneuverable, agile fighter. The YF-23 had more stealth, speed and altitude, but the F-22 was described as a “super F-15” and nothing fit the bill better as far as the Air Force was concerned.