YF-23 Black Widow II

The YF-23A Black Widow II is a prototype aircraft developed jointly by and.

History
The YF-23 was built by Northrop in the late 1980s as part of the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition issued by the United States' government in 1986. The driving force behind the program was the American need for a next-generation aircraft intended to replace the F-15 Eagle to counter the Su-27 Flanker and MiG-29 Fulcrum of the Soviet Union after their discovery by Western satellites, which the US Air Force saw as nullifying the maneuverability advantage of existing US fighters.

The YF-23 was built by Northrop in conjunction with McDonnell Douglas as their entry, competing with the YF-22 Lightning II of Lockheed Martin. Within the 50-month period allotted for the manufacture of prototypes, the company produced the "PAV-1" and "PAV-2" (Prototype Air Vehicle) airframes that fulfilled the stealth and mobility demands of the Air Force. By virtue of their color schemes, the prototypes were respectively known as Black Widow II and Gray Ghost, the former of which was named after a World War II aircraft of the same name.

Both aircraft participated in dozens of combat and supercruising ability tests in September 1990 after the initial flight on late August before its performance reports were submitted in December, but the Lightning II was unexpectedly declared victorious on April 1991. Although it was less agile, the YF-23 achieved higher speeds and displayed greater stealth.

Main games
Air Combat 22=
 * DESCRIPTION
 * Appears as the final enemy of the game in Ace difficulty.

Air Combat= Ace Combat 2= Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War= Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War= Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception= Ace Combat Infinity= Description

A prototype fighter with high stealth capabilities and excellent high speed flight. A candidate from the ATF (Advanced Tactical Fighter) program, with diamond shaped wings and a Y-shaped tail, reducing radar reflection surfaces and air resistance to absolutely minimal levels. Its nickname is the "Black Widow II."

Spinoffs
Ace Combat: Joint Assault=
 * DESCRIPTION
 * This stealth fighter has a unique design, which combines high supersonic speed with low radar observability.


 * AVAILABILITY
 * Complete either version of "Nightwatch" on a second playthrough.


 * STATISTICS
 * Speed: High
 * Air-to-Air: Above Average
 * Air-to-Ground: Medium
 * Mobility: Excellent
 * Speed: Excellent
 * Defense: Medium


 * WEAPONS
 * ODMM x20
 * Napalm Bomb x30
 * Bomblet Dispenser x30
 * Quick Maneuver Air-to-Air Missile x21

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon=
 * COLORS
 * C01: Gray Ghost body.
 * C02: Gray digital camouflage.
 * C03: Black body.
 * C04: Solid white with blue wing trim. Vaguely resembles the Rockwell-MBB X-31 demonstrator.
 * C05: Black and red body with spiderwebs on wings.
 * C06: Wizard Squadron livery.
 * DESCRIPTION
 * This demonstrator aircraft possesses both superior stealth performance and high speed flight performance. Selected as a finalist for the ATF (Advanced Tactical Fighter) competition, this aircraft's unique diamond-shaped wings and angled V-tail fins provide a low radar cross-section and also function to achieve minimal air resistance. The aircraft is commonly known as the "Black Widow II."


 * Produced under a license from Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation.
 * YF-23 Black Widow II is a trademark of Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation.


 * AVAILABILITY
 * DLC


 * STATISTICS
 * Speed: Very high
 * Mobility: High
 * Stability: High
 * Firepower: High
 * Defense: High


 * WEAPONS
 * Standard Missile x230
 * Quick-Maneuver Air-to-Air Missile x36
 * Semi-Active Air-to-Air Missile x28
 * Flare x5

All Color schemes have "EG" tail code (Eglin Air Force Base, Florida). Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy=
 * COLORS
 * COLOR 1 : United States Air Force Gray Ghost prototype scheme. Full gray.
 * COLOR 2 : United States Air Force gray digital camouflage.
 * COLOR 3 : United States Air Force Black Widow II prototype scheme. All black with high visibility roundels.