Lockheed YF-22

YF-22
A YF-22 during a test flight
Role	Stealth fighter technology demonstrator Type of aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Lockheed / Boeing / General Dynamics
First flight	29 September 1990
Status	Retired
Primary user	United States Air Force
Produced	1989–1990
Number built	2
Developed into	Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor

The Lockheed/Boeing/General Dynamics YF-22 is an American single-seat, twin-engine fighter aircraft technology demonstrator designed for the United States Air Force (USAF). The design team was a finalist in the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition, and two prototypes were built for the demonstration/validation phase of the competition. The YF-22 team won the contest against the YF-23 team for full-scale development, and the design was developed into the Lockheed Martin F-22.^{[N 1]} The YF-22 has a similar aerodynamic layout and configuration as the F-22, but with notable differences in the overall shaping such as the position and design of the cockpit, tail fins and wings, and in internal structural layout.

In the 1980s, the USAF began looking for a replacement for its fighter aircraft, especially to counter the advanced Su-27 and MiG-29. A number of companies, divided into two teams, submitted their proposals. Northrop and McDonnell Douglas submitted the YF-23. Lockheed, Boeing and General Dynamics proposed and built the YF-22, which, although marginally slower and having a larger radar cross-section, was more agile than the YF-23. The Lockheed team was picked by the Air Force as the winner of the ATF in April 1991. Following the selection, the first prototype was retired to a museum, while the second continued flying until an accident relegated it to the role of an antenna test vehicle.
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