20 radical military aircraft that didn’t make the cut
Northrup Grumman YF-23
The Air Force pitted the YF-23 against Lockheed’s YF-22 during the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition, and the winner would eventually replace the aging F-15 Eagle. Both prototypes performed well when they took to the skies in late 1990, but the YF-23’s radical design elements would be even more expensive than the F-22 Raptor, which costs a whopping $143 million per plane.
As soon as I finish my “slideshow” on Cold War-ERA TAC warplanes — which has become more of a full-length article with 1,500 words and counting — I’ll jump right on that, Colonel!
Thanks for your service,
Chris
Excellent article and fascinating pictures. Would like to see a similar one for pre-ww1, ww1 and post-ww1 aircraft. Thanks, Colonel Buzzsaw, USAF-ret. Retired SADO/13B/DO for 601 AOC.