The Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 is an American single-seat, twin-engine, stealth fighter technology demonstrator prototype designed for the United States Air Force (USAF).

The YF-23 rapidly completed taxi testing with increasing speeds, culminating in the final high-speed test to 120 knots on August 11. Unofficially dubbed ‘Black Widow II’, Northrop’s Prototype...

May 18, 2017 · Northrop built two YF-23A prototypes: the first YF-23 (serial number 87-0800), Prototype Air Vehicle 1 (PAV-1), was rolled out on 22 Jun. 1990 and took its 50-minute maiden flight on Aug. 27 with Alfred “Paul” Metz at the controls while the second YF-23 (serial number 87-0801, PAV-2) made its first flight on Oct. 26, piloted by Jim Sandberg.

Feb 1, 2022 · Unofficially dubbed ‘Black Widow II’, Northrop’s Prototype Air Vehicle (PAV) number 1 took to the air for the first time on August 27 making a near flawless one hour flight. Climb out was brisk, requiring the F-16 chase to use afterburner to stay with the YF-23 using military (non-afterburning) thrust.

YF-23A “Black Widow II” PAV-1 (S/N 87-800) is currently at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The Western Museum of Flight’s YF-23A “Black Widow II” PAV-2 used two General Electric YF120 engines. YF-23A PAV-1 used two Pratt & Whitney YF119 engines.

Feb 1, 2022 · Unofficially dubbed ‘Black Widow II’, Northrop’s Prototype Air Vehicle (PAV) number 1 took to the air for the first time on August 27 making a near flawless one hour flight. Climb out was brisk, requiring the F-16 chase to use afterburner to stay with the YF-23 using military (non-afterburning) thrust.

Northrop built two YF-23A prototypes: the first YF-23 (serial number 87-0800), Prototype Air Vehicle 1 (PAV-1), was rolled out on 22 Jun. 1990 and took its 50-minute maiden flight on Aug. 27 with Alfred “Paul” Metz at the controls while the second YF-23 (serial number 87-0801, PAV-2) made its first flight on Oct. 26, piloted by Jim Sandberg.

The first YF-23 prototype, known as “PAV-1” and nicknamed “Spider,” took to the skies for its maiden flight on August 27, 1990, with test pilot Paul Metz at the controls. This flight marked a significant milestone in the ATF program, demonstrating the YF …

PAV 1 is displayed at the National Museum of the Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton Ohio. PAV 2 is on display at the Western Museum of Flight in Torrance, California. This website is dedicated to all those who worked in secret for years on the YF-23 project.

Jul 23, 2019 · PAV-1 performed a fast-paced combat demonstration with six flights over a 10-hour period on Nov. 30 1990. Flight testing continued into December, and saw the two YF-23s flying 50 times for a...