Northrop YF-23 Black Widow by DML

1/72 scale
Kit No. 2507
Price: $45.00
Decals: Two versions – for one of two prototypes
Comments: Engraved panel lines, two-piece canopy, detailed cockpit

History

The Northrop YF-23 took its maiden flight on August 27, 1990.  It was a top contender and finalist for the Pentagon’s ATF (Advanced Tactical Fighter) contract, which was ultimately awarded to the Lockheed F-22 in 1991. In many ways the YF-23 would have been a better fighter than the F-22, as it was stealthier and faster than its rival — having 40 percent of the radar signature of the F-15 Eagle compared to the F-22’s 50 percent, and capable of an estimated speed of Mach 1.8 at supercruise compared to the F-22’s Mach 1.7.

Northrop had a small team of engineers working on a stealth fighter as far back as October 1981 under the leadership of Bob Sandusky. This team shared data with the B-2 division responsible for developing the stealth bomber, including information on concepts such as materials and low observability, which enhanced the designs of both aircraft. By 1986, the YF-23 was a stable and well understood design that initially put Northrop out ahead of the competition.

A radically different design, the YF-23 had a blended shape initially pioneered by McDonnell Aircraft in the 1940’s with its XP-67 Moonbat, and seen on few designs since with the exception of General Dynamics F-16, Lockheed’s SR-71, and Northrop’s own B-2 bomber. The YF-23 also featured a trapezoidal wing with the jet intakes below the wing leading edge, and the twin jet exhausts above it in the rear. The inlets leading from the intakes were curved so that the compressor blades of the engines, a major source of radar returns, would be shielded from enemy search radars.

The YF-23 made extensive use of composite materials in its airframe, so to trim costs it used proven, conventional components where possible, like the nose wheel and forward cockpit of the F-15E Eagle, although its cockpit was generally longer and roomier than that of the F-15C. The main landing gear used was that of the F-18 Hornet. Copying a proven concept from its B-2 bomber, Northrop used its wide, flat exhaust nozzles, which successfully dissipated hot engine gases as rapidly as possible to reduce the aircraft’s heat signature.

The ATF contract required an aircraft capable of supercruise, the ability to fly at supersonic speed for extended periods without the massive fuel burn such flight traditionally requires. The YF-23 prototypes were fitted with two different engines, one made by Pratt & Whitney, the other by General Electric, to achieve this. Each engine took different approaches to supercruise. The Pratt & Whitney YF-119 powerplant had a more conventional approach with a low bypass turbofan, placing special emphasis on simplicity of maintenance and dependability. General Electric’s YF-120 had an advanced dual bypass turbofan allowing a portion of the compressed air to be routed around the turbine section, providing higher thrust and lower fuel consumption at supersonic speeds. The YF-120 turned out to be the more efficient powerplant, and was ultimately chosen for the ATF.

The first YF-23 (serial number 87-0800), Prototype Air Vehicle 1 (PAV-1), was rolled out on June 22, 1990; PAV-1 took its 50-minute maiden flight on August 27th with Alfred “Paul” Metz at the controls. The second YF-23 (serial number 87-0801, PAV-2) made its first flight on October 26th, piloted by Jim Sandberg.  The first YF-23 was painted charcoal gray and was nicknamed “Spider” and “Black Widow II,” the latter after the Northrop P-61 Black Widow of World War II.  It briefly had a red hourglass marking resembling the marking on the underside of a black widow spider before Northrop management had it removed. The second prototype was painted in two shades of gray and nicknamed “Gray Ghost”.

While the prototypes were not fitted with weapons, had it entered service the YF-23 would have had a Vulcan M61 20mm cannon installed near the starboard wing root. It would also have carried six AIM-120 and four AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles in an internal weapons bay, to help reduce its radar signature. Weapons loads could have been varied to substitute AIM-7 Sparrow missiles for the AIM-120’s. Powered by two General Electric YF-120 turbofan engines capable of 35,000 lbs. thrust each, the YF-23 would have been capable of Mach 1.6, or a higher speed that is classified, but would have been at least Mach 1.8 in supercruise mode.

Speed and stealth were strongly emphasized in the Pentagon’s ATF specifications, and Northrop’s YF-23 was faster and stealthier than the competition. Why then did the F-22 win the ATF contract? While some observers have cynically attributed the decision to “politics” the F-22 had at least two factors in its favor. It promised to be easier on the defense budget in terms of per unit cost, and at lower speeds it was more maneuverable due to its vectored thrust, a capability that the YF-23 did not share. Northrop did not incorporate two-dimensional jet exhaust nozzles into its design — which would have provided vectored thrust, translating into increased maneuverability by providing instant pitch and significantly improving roll in tight turns — based on the belief of its aircraft designers that vectored thrust only comes into play at very low maneuvering speeds, a vulnerable envelope that no fighter pilot wants to find himself in during an engagement. Northrop instead relied on the speed and maneuverability offered by the YF-23’s trapezoidal wing, and the conviction that on balance, they had produced the superior design.

In addition, the financial condition and track record of the contractors was a factor, although only the Pentagon or industry insiders know how much weight it was given. The YF-23 team was operating under significant financial strain at the time, with Northrop’s B-2 bomber delayed and encountering cost over-runs, and its partner McDonnell-Douglas having greater problems with the A-12 bomber it was developing for the U.S. Navy (a project that was ultimately cancelled). McDonnell-Douglas in particular had a storied history of winning fighter contracts, from the F-4 Phantom to the F-15 Eagle (both of which set a world standard for air superiority) to the F-18 Hornet — but past glory wasn’t enough to carry the day. Lockheed in contrast had developed the F-117 stealth fighter on time and under budget.

Subsequent to the ATF contract, Northrop merged with Grumman Aircraft Corporation, and McDonnell-Douglas was acquired by Boeing. Lockheed Martin still exists as a stand-alone, although it’s F-22 and F-35 projects have come under criticism due to cost issues.

The Kit

Dragon/DML’s YF-23 is injection molded in grey and consists of 35 parts, including three clear plastic parts for the windscreen, canopy, and head-up display. As the kit represents a prototype, it includes no extras in the way of weaponry. It features just enough detail to be of interest, but at the time of the kit’s 1991 release, the aircraft itself was highly classified. Within months of its release, the U.S. Air Force announced that the winner of the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition was the Lockheed YF-22 (later designated the F-22 Raptor), so for modelers, additional details about the YF-23 that might have come to light had it entered production – as has been the case with the F-22 – remain shrouded in secrecy.

The two largest parts of the kit by far are the top and bottom halves of the fuselage, which faithfully recreate the YF-23’s blended shape and integrate the diamond-shaped wing into the fuselage. These two parts feature engraved panel lines and boxed in wheel wells with ribbed detail for the main landing gear. As in the case of the wings, all control surfaces are molded as part of the fuselage halves to make a single part in each case. The only exceptions to this are the butterfly tail fins which are separate parts angled at 45 degrees from the fuselage, and are to be fitted rather than cemented in place at the same time the fuselage halves are cemented together. Curiously, these two parts bear raised panel lines for some reason.

The cockpit tub is nicely done, featuring abundant raised detail for the two side instrument panels. The main instrument panel is spartan by comparison and not entirely accurate; on the actual YF-23 the instrument panel is dominated by two multi-purpose color display screens, but does contain some instrumentation on its periphery to the right and left. The kit’s main instrument panel features four display screens and nothing else, giving it a rather plain appearance.

The pilot’s ejection seat is fairly detailed, consisting of five parts, including a separately molded ejection actuator, but does not feature seat straps, nor are straps provided among the kit decals. An exceptionally detailed control yoke rounds out the cockpit parts. The kit should be a quick build, for with the cockpit in place, the engine exhaust parts can be cemented in place and the fuselage sealed up in short order.  With the butterfly tail fins on, adding the landing gear is the final step. The key challenge to this kit will be the painting and deciding whether to depict it as one of the two prototypes — the dark grey first prototype, informally named “Black Widow II,” or the lighter grey second prototype, dubbed “Grey Ghost.”  The instructions are clear and well illustrated and call out Gunze Sangyo colors in its Aqueous Hobby and Mr. Color lines. Most notably they provide detailed painting instructions for the cockpit.

Markings

Decals are provided for both prototypes, and include extensive stencils. The first is for the aircraft designed PAV-1 and powered by Pratt & Whitney YF-119 engines, painted in a scheme of overall dark grey. The second is for PAV-2, powered by General Electric YF-120 engines, painted in a two-tone camouflage scheme of grey and light grey for both upper and lower surfaces of the aircraft. Given the kit’s vintage, unless you are able to acquire a new 2019 release, the markings are likely to be quite yellowed with age. Fortunately Caracal Models produces a set in 1/72 scale of superior quality, and at this writing it is available on Sprue Brothers website.

Conclusion

This is a moderately detailed kit of an ATF prototype that might have entered U.S. service as the successor to the McDonnell-Douglas F-15 Eagle. The YF-23 was a stealth fighter design arguably superior to Lockheed’s F-22 by most benchmarks. While the kit has been out of production for some twenty-odd years and available for sometimes princely sums from aftermarket sources since, Dragon is primed to re-release it again later this year (2019). Highly recommended.

References

• “21st Century Flyoff: The Showdown Between Lockheed and Northrop for the Next Generation Fighter” Airpower Magazine, March 1991, Vol. 21, No. 2
• Northrop YF-23 ATF: Air Force Legends No. 220, by Paul Metz; Copyright 2016 by Steve Ginter, Simi Valley, California.
• military.wikia.org
• Photo File Number 16: Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23