48. The YF-22 Was the F-22’s Prototype
In 1986, the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) went into Demonstration and Validation phase for the replacements of the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. The two prototype aircraft developed included the Lockheed/Boeing/General Dynamics YF-22 and the Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23. In 1990, the aircraft finished their first flight. Following the Dem/Val flight tests in 1991, the Secretary of the United States Air Force (USAF), Donald Rice, selected the YF-22 as the better of the two. Despite the YF-23 superior stealth and quickness, the USAF chose the YF-22 for its thrust vectoring nozzles which was more controllable as well as cheaper and less dangerous.