The YF-23 had a better fuel range, which would have been useful to the Navy’s plans to replace the F-14 Tomcat. Both the YF-23 and YF-22 were good fighters in their respective rights.

The YF-23 remains a remarkable but forgotten contender ... but the aircraft only became operational in 2015 (and 2019 for the Navy version). So, when the Air Force started looking for a new ...