McDonnell Douglas YF - 23 Black Widow II The Northrop / McDonnell Douglas YF - 23 Black Widow II is an American aircraft that competed with the Lockheed Martin F / A - 22 Raptor to be the new 5th generation fighter of the USAF and regarded as the sister fighter of the same . The YF - 22 and the YF - 23 competed to become the first 5th Generation fighter . The YF - 22 won , owing to its higher maneuverability and speed . There are many rumors that the YF - 23 was actually better in many areas of performance , and the YF - 22 was only chosen for it ' s supposedly lower price . The YF - 23 had not any operators , in 2004 the Northrop proposed a bomber version of the YF - 23 competing with the projects of the FB - 22 Strike Raptor and the B - 1R , but the project probably was cancelled , as the USAF required a bomber with longer range , however , as the FB - 22 still is in the competition , maybe the FB - 23 could still be in the competition . Description . The YF - 23A was Northrop and McDonnell Douglas proposal for the US government ' s Advanced Tactical Fighter program , whose objective was to create an aircraft designed to replace the legendary F - 15 Eagle . It ' s main rival was the Boeing / Lockheed - manufactured " YF - 22 Lightning II " ( which evolved into the F - 22 Raptor . ) In terms of raw performance , the YF - 23 was superior to the Lightning II in terms of speed & stealth , as well as operational range . Furthermore , the YF - 23 had a lower production cost due to the unneeded use of tankers and parts from other aircraft ( i . e . F / A - 18 , F - 15 and B - 2 Spirit ; said aircraft served as the YF - 23A ' s inspiration . The F - 22 won however , due to its faster super cruise and better maneuverability . Two YF - 23As were developed for the ATF program , both of which sported different engines & paintwork : the black PAV - 1 ( Black Widow II , Pratt & Whitney YF119 ) and the gray PAV - 2 ( Gray Ghost , Pratt & Whitney YF120 . ) Of note is the fact that the Black Widow II ' s namesake comes from the P - 61 Black Widow aircraft from WWII . The company decided to use elements from the F / A - 18 Hornet and the B - 2 Spirit in the YF - 23 ' s mainframe ( the V - tail coming from the former . ) In order to reduce the development costs , Northrop employed parts from other aircraft in the YF - 23 ' s design , such as F - 15 Eagle nosewheel units and cockpits ( respectively , from the F - 15C & F - 15E Strike Eagle . ) In terms of performance , the YF - 23A was superior to the Lightning II in terms of speed ( this is actually not proven because they had the same engines and compareable drag and weights ) , operational range & stealth capabilities , although the Lightning II had the upper hand in terms of maneouverability , stability in flight , cockpit technology and missile numbers the YF - 23 also had many technical problems on its weapon bays . The US government chose the YF - 22 as the ATF project ' s winner . Rumors state that Lockheed ' s industrial performance was a vital factor in the Pentagon ' s decision to select the YF - 22 over the YF - 23 : Northrop had financial problems caused by the B - 2 Spirit & A - 12 Avenger II bombers ( the latter of which would be cancelled due to high costs . ) So did the Airforce take the 2nd best plane ? Because its said that the YF - 23 was faster , stealthier and it had a greater range but it was only less agile than the YF - 22 why didn ' t the Airforce take it ? The answer to that is simple because the YF - 23 wasn ' t faster with the same engines and compreable weights , it has a top speed of 1650 mph and the F - 22 the same , because the F - 22s top speed remains classified and the F - 22 that is now in service has changes in terms of stealth and radar power that makes it better than the YF - 23 of the 90´s . Another reason is that the YF - 22´s weapon bays were bigger and the weapon bays of the YF - 23 had technical problems and they didn ' t work well enough . The only real advantage the YF - 23 had to the YF - 22 was stealth and range . Aircraft on display . Both airframes remained in storage until mid - 1996 , when the aircraft were transferred to museums . In 2004 , Norhrop proposed a Black Widow II - inspired design for the USAF ' s " Regional Bomber " program , along with other proposed aircraft such as the B - 1R missile truck and the FB - 22 . Specifications . Armament . None as tested but provisions made for