Midweek Sortie 28: The Fighter That Vanished Before Dawn—Inside the YF-23 Black Widow II
Before the F-22 ruled the skies, the YF-23 promised a darker, faster, quieter future — then disappeared into aviation’s most haunting what-if.
The aircraft was abnormally “solid” yet agile requiring few pilot stick motions to remain in tight formation with its safety chase aircraft.”
—Paul Metz, Northrop Test Pilot
The Mojave dawn, pale and endless, and slicing through it, not just any fighter, but the YF-23 Black Widow II; a secret with wings. She was…
