Cold War Rivals in a New World

Chapter 9: The Advanced Tactical Fighter Program

Edwards Air Force Base, 9th of July, 1990, 7 am

Specialised Aircraft engineers and maintainers were frantically working on assembling the YF-23 that had been transported to Edwards Air Force base in large pieces. After the aircraft was assembled, checks on its structural and software integrity were performed. Red sticky notes marking areas of concern were removed after they were checked. The canopy was closed, and the YF-23 was then rotated to face the hangar doors. These procedures took about 2 hours and 30 minutes, leaving time for the ground crew to rehearse the rolling out. Guests from all over the United States and farther were invited to see the unveiling of the Aircraft, among them dozens of reporters and news agents. The ceremony started with a short  speech from Gen. Ronald W. Yates, Commander of USAF Systems Command.

"What is about to be unveiled here, is an aircraft with capabilities never seen on a single aircraft. A new generation of fighters, if you will. It uses the best in available engine, avionics and materials. It is no longer a concept drawing or an artist's impression, it is a fully functional aircraft of the next generation, complete with all the bells and whistles. If there was an enemy in the air right now, it would be able to fight and destroy it. Handing over to Kent Leesa,
CEO of Northrop company."

"Thank you, General Yates. With this speech, I proudly present my company's bid for the Advanced Tactical Fighter Program,the YF-23 prototype, which, if chosen, will allow America's Air Force to achieve air dominance of the next generation."

The hangar doors slowly opened, and the sleek, curved YF-23 was slowly rolled out. It was entirely black simply because that was how the composite materials it was made of looked unpainted. It was simply a joy to look at. Some reporters described it as "knowing it was a product of man, but not really feeling as if it was. It looked more like Science Fiction than product of human engineering."

Elizabeth Clarke was among the crowd watching the unveiling of the YF-23.

"This is literally the stealth fighter I had nightmares about. Sleek, unbroken surfaces, angled control surfaces, a slightly yellow tint on the cockpit canopy, two engines."

She whispered to herself.

Her assistant was too much in awe to notice her whispers.

"We at Northrop are proud to present our creations, including the YF-23. Lockheed, on the other hand, has not yet shown their prototype."

She overhead a representative of Northrop say.

"There is a competitor plane that hasn't even been revealed yet?"

She whispered to herself again.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Today has been a great day for American aviation. In a short while, a press conference will begin. Northrop and the US Air Force will answer your questions, as long as the answer isn't classified."

Most of the press flocked to the press conference, while the engineers and designers that had worked on the aircraft were talking amongst themselves. Elizabeth was searching for a representative of Northrop to ask all sorts of questions.
She eventually found a representative of Northrop, who was standing near a table filled with brochures about the Northrop company, its history and products.

"Excuse me, but can you tell me why this aircraft was built?"

Elizabeth asked the man in a suit.

"It was built under the Advanced Tactical Fighter Program, which was started because our adversaries in the world we were transported from, had developed very advanced planes, and we wanted something to counter these advanced planes. Two companies, Northrop, which I represent, and Lockheed were chosen to build a prototype of their proposals for the program."