All variants of the F-23 should be slightly stealthier than the F-22.
“...the USAF ATF requirements did not require the ATF design to have a lot of agility. The USAF was looking for a stealth fighter that would have a significant time differential between the ATF and the bandit’s discovery of the ATF. For Northrop, the aft deck of the YF-23A was one of the key stealth features of Northrop’s ATF design. Northrop chose stealth over agility to meet the USAF specifications. Northrop’s aft deck design shielded the aircraft from horizontal and look up threats by hiding the exhaust. Lockheed did the opposite, they chose agility over stealth for the design of the aft section of their YF-22A.”
The F-23 should be able to carry air-to-ground munitions. Later models should also be able to carry a larger complement of air-to-air missiles with rotary or trapeze launches.
_"A big, deep weapons bay is great for air-to-ground applications, but it does invite potentially unwanted complexity for air-to-air applications. By stacking missiles above other missiles, it means that if one jammed, the ones behind it would not be usable—or worse. It also meant that an elaborate missile handling and launching mechanism would be required. This could add substantial weight and complexity to the design, and thus increase risk and possibly cost associated with it. At the same time, a big, deep, trough-like weapons compartment meant that the YF-23 could potentially carry substantial air-to-ground stores, including 2,000lb class weapons, and possibly even larger. Such a bay could also be subdivided for different types of off smaller weapons to be carried at one time.
By most accounts, this configuration would have allowed for four or maybe five AIM-120s and a pair of sidewinders to be carried, but some claim that elaborate and complex AIM-120 carriage contraptions could have drastically increased this to as many as eight or even 10 AIM-120s
Like so many things YF-23, in retrospect, an ATF that could carry a diverse air-to-ground weapons load, including munitions capable of taking out large and well fortified targets—and especially a fighter that had better kinematic, range, and low observable (stealth) performance than even the YF-22—would be a near ideal combat aircraft today."_
DB Selector
DB3K
Baseline
4107
Hypothetical
Yes
Name
F-23 Black Widow II
Country
USA
Service
USAF
In Commission
2024+
Length (m)
Same as #4107
Wingspan (m)
Same as #4107
Height (m)
Same as #4107
Empty Weight (kg)
Same as #4107
Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) (kg)
Same as #4107
Payload Weight (kg)
Same as #4107
Crew
1
Propulsion
Same as #4107
Rate of Climb (ft/min)
Same as #4107
Service Ceiling (ft)
60000
Military/Afterburner Speed (kt)
Same as #4107
Cruise Speed (kt)
Same as #4107
Supercruise
Yes
Ferry Range (nm)
Same as #4107
Endurance (min)
Same as #4107
Takeoff / Landing Distance (m)
Same as #4107
Fuel Capacity (kg)
Same as #4107
Sensors
Same as F-22A Raptor 2024.
Mounts
x1 20mm M61A2 Cannon.
Loadout Options
x8 AIM-120D x2 AIM-9X Block III Or x8 AIM-260 x2 AIM-9X Block III
Otherwise, similar to the F-22A Raptor 2024.
Comms/Datalinks
Same as F-22A Raptor 2024.
Aircraft Codes
Supermanouverability, Fly-by-Wire, Night Navigation (Ferry, Air-to-Air, Air-to-Surface Missiles), Bombsight - Advanced Navigation (INS/GPS), Helmet Mounted Sight / Display (HMS/HMD), Boom Refuelling
Comments
All variants of the F-23 should be slightly stealthier than the F-22.
“...the USAF ATF requirements did not require the ATF design to have a lot of agility. The USAF was looking for a stealth fighter that would have a significant time differential between the ATF and the bandit’s discovery of the ATF. For Northrop, the aft deck of the YF-23A was one of the key stealth features of Northrop’s ATF design. Northrop chose stealth over agility to meet the USAF specifications. Northrop’s aft deck design shielded the aircraft from horizontal and look up threats by hiding the exhaust. Lockheed did the opposite, they chose agility over stealth for the design of the aft section of their YF-22A.”
The F-23 should be able to carry air-to-ground munitions. Later models should also be able to carry a larger complement of air-to-air missiles with rotary or trapeze launches.
_"A big, deep weapons bay is great for air-to-ground applications, but it does invite potentially unwanted complexity for air-to-air applications. By stacking missiles above other missiles, it means that if one jammed, the ones behind it would not be usable—or worse. It also meant that an elaborate missile handling and launching mechanism would be required. This could add substantial weight and complexity to the design, and thus increase risk and possibly cost associated with it. At the same time, a big, deep, trough-like weapons compartment meant that the YF-23 could potentially carry substantial air-to-ground stores, including 2,000lb class weapons, and possibly even larger. Such a bay could also be subdivided for different types of off smaller weapons to be carried at one time.
By most accounts, this configuration would have allowed for four or maybe five AIM-120s and a pair of sidewinders to be carried, but some claim that elaborate and complex AIM-120 carriage contraptions could have drastically increased this to as many as eight or even 10 AIM-120s
Like so many things YF-23, in retrospect, an ATF that could carry a diverse air-to-ground weapons load, including munitions capable of taking out large and well fortified targets—and especially a fighter that had better kinematic, range, and low observable (stealth) performance than even the YF-22—would be a near ideal combat aircraft today."_
Sources
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/24911/this-is-what-a-northrop-f-23a-wouldve-looked-like-if-lockheed-lost-the-atf-competition
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/23993/the-yf-23s-weapons-bay-layout-was-one-of-its-best-features-and-one-of-its-worst
https://reviews.ipmsusa.org/review/northrup-yf-23-atf
https://theaviationgeekclub.com/exclusive-yf-23a-thermal-designer-provides-interesting-details-northrop-atf/