PUBLISHED on August 9, 2025, 08:00 AM EDT – Key Points and Summary – Northrop Grumman has unveiled concept art for its F/A-XX sixth-generation naval fighter proposal that bears a striking resemblance to its legendary YF-23 “Black Widow II” prototype.
-This reveal comes at a perilous time for the F/A-XX program, which has had its funding slashed by the Pentagon in favor of the Air Force’s F-47.
FA-XX Render from Northrop Grumman.
-Revisiting the YF-23’s design—a jet considered by many to be faster and stealthier than the F-22’s prototype—is a great idea, potentially giving a superior, combat-proven concept a second chance at life.
YF-23 Black Widow II as the F/A-XX Fighter?
The fate of the Navy’s F/A-XX sixth-generation stealth fighter program is still up in the air. However, Northrop-Grumman, one of the two contractors bidding for the project, unveiled new concept art for the aircraft.
And there is near-universal agreement that it closely resembles the YF-23, which competed for and lost the contract that became the F-22 Raptor.
Alex Hollings posted side-by-side pictures of the two aircraft, which seem quite similar.
Turning to the YF-23 to inspire the future F/A-XX would be a great idea.
Will The F/A-XX Even Be Built?
The Pentagon slashed FY 2026 funding for the project to just $74 million, choosing to prioritize the Air Force’s F-47 program over the Navy’s sixth-generation jet.
A July statement from the Office of Management and Budget expressed concerns about the funding allocated for multiple acquisition plans, including the F/A-XX program:
“The Administration appreciates the Committee’s commitment to fielding timely sixth-generation fighter aircraft. However, the Administration strongly supports reevaluating the F/A-XX program due to industrial base concerns of two sixth-generation programs occurring simultaneously.”
Admiral Daryl Caudle, the newly confirmed Chief of Naval Operations, recently warned that defunding the F/A-XX would put U.S. carrier air wings at a disadvantage, as Chinese sixth-generation aircraft are already in development. Caudle has urged an “all hands on deck” approach to upgrading U.S. military aircraft and hardware, calling the F/A-XX program “critical” to maintaining air superiority.
What Does The Rendering Show?
Published on the naval aviation page of Northrop Grumman’s website, the rendering shows a proposed exterior design of the plane, with a focus on its nose, cockpit, and forward fuselage.
As with any artist’s rendering, the final design will probably look quite different. And, just like the F-47 rendering, it doesn’t actually give much of a view at all. Some question why the renderings don’t show much, and why renderings in general are different from the finished product.
Well, I’m sure the Navy and the contractors want to keep some engineers in China guessing, as those same engineers are well known for stealing the plans of U.S. aircraft and building their stealth planes from U.S. designs.
But aviation experts have reviewed the rendering, and some features do stand out.
The frame is well blended and rounded in areas, suggesting next-generation stealth design.
The large bubble canopy, an almost carbon-copy of the YF-23’s, indicates a single-pilot aircraft. The prevailing thought was that the F/A-XX would have a crew of two, given all of the advanced long-range missions that are planned for it.
TWZ said in their article that a large, rounded belly suggests “considerable internal volume for fuel and weapons.” The aircraft also has heavy-duty landing gear, a given for any aircraft making hard carrier landings.
The nose is large, suggesting a radar will fit there.
The intake seems too small for the actual requirements. It is probably purposely misdrawn to confuse enemies.
What About An Upgraded YF-23?
The Northrop YF-23, though arguably faster and stealthier than its rival, lost the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition to the Lockheed YF-22 in 1991.
The YF-23 was the only prototype able to supercruise in the fly-off. It might have been the more technologically advanced platform, leaving a great “what if” in the history of American aircraft design.
During the flyoff between the two prototypes, the YF-23 was faster and stealthier, but the YF-22 was rated as being more agile. And think about that a second. The F-22 Raptor is still the stealthiest aircraft in the world today. If the YF-23 was stealthier, then it had to be incredibly stealthy.
The YF-23 also “showcased better range, higher ceiling,” reads another history of the fly-off. “However, during flight demonstrations, the YF-22 excelled by performing more aggressive maneuvers and missile launches.” It was considered a fighter pilot’s aircraft. And the “fighter mafia” had their say.
Obviously it was a superior dogfighter due to its thrust vectoring, a technology that the YF-23 didn’t have.
One Of The Few Men To Fly Both Aircraft, And What Did He Think?
Paul Metz, an experienced pilot who flew both the YF-23 and the YF-22, said, “What no one wants to admit is the ‘white-scarf, inside the furball’ fighter mafia still reigned supreme in that time.”
“Northrop’s YF-23 team was made up of brilliant engineers,” Metz said, but he also saw that they “thought and spoke almost exclusively in engineering terms.”
However, “Lockheed infused far more marketing, salesmanship, and pizazz.”
“They fundamentally understood how to sell their aircraft and how ‘showmanship’ heavily impacts the acquisition decision-making process. Northrop didn’t and that fact may have proven fatal for the YF-23.”
“The purpose of the fly-off that selected the YF-22 was supposed to validate which design most comprehensibly met all the major requirements. These were stealth, an AESA radar, and the ability to supercruise,” author James Stevenson said to National Security Journal’s Reuben Johnson.
“But the YF-22 demonstrated none of these. Neither the stealth characteristics nor the radar were prepared enough for demonstration. Of the two aircraft, only YF-23 ever supercruised, and that was the prototype with the GE F-120 engine. This engine lost in the competition to the Pratt & Whitney F119, even though it demonstrated better performance.”
One has to wonder if the YF-23 today would be a better aircraft than the F-22 Raptor, which is still the standard against which other stealth fighters are measured.
An upgraded YF-23 with superior stealth, speed, weapons, and avionics could finally have its time in the sun. That would be a great end to its story.
About the Author
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
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Robert Cook
August 9, 2025 at 7:46 pm
What if, is the question! What if the YF23 had tweeked engines to make up for the additional weight of the carrier landing gear and the F15EX’s radar and electronic warning systems, and upgraded F35 sensors and possibly more room for munitions and fuel this would possibly be the fighter aircraft that the Navy needs. I’m saying this because we already have the technology and knowledge to make this happen,but at this point we have refused to do it. Why?