In many ways the YF-23 was a better fighter then the successful YF-22.
Both aircraft were a generation ahead of anything else flying, but the Northrop
design would probably have been faster and stealthier, with low-speed handling the
only area where the Lockheed design was superior.
To save money, the YF-23 protypes used more conventional components than its rival.
The Lockheed YF-22 had a sidestick controller like that in the F-16, but the YF-23 had a more
orthodox center stick. The YF-23 used the foward cockpit of the F-15E Strike Eagle, but the longer and
wider then an F-15C.
Both advanced tactical fighters met most of the U.S. Air Force requirements, but ultimately it was
industrial performance that mattered. The two main partners in the consortium
managing the F-23 were under considerable strain. Northrop's B-2 bomber ws delayed and
suffering cost over-runs, and McDonnell Doglas was having even greater problems with the eventually canceled
A-12 naval bomber. Lockheed, by contrast, had developed the F-117 Stealth Fighter on time and under
budget, which probably proved decisive in the Pentagon's choice.
Other cool links I've made
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The Skyhawk II
The AV-8B Harrier II
The F-5 Tiger II
The F-14 Tomcat
The F-15 Eagle
The F-16 Falcon
The F-18 Hornet
The F-22 Raptor
The EuroFighter 2000
The Dassault Rafale
The Mirage F1
The Mirage 2000
The JAS 39 Gripen
The B-2 Spirit
The B-52 Stratofortress
The MiG-29 Fulcrum
The Su-27 Flanker
The Su-35 Flanker
The X-29
Air Combat Manouvres