THE F-22 RAPTOR: America's ULTIMATE Fighter (And the GHOST That Lost)

This full-length documentary explores the complete history of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, the world's first and most dominant 5th-generation air superiority fighter. We delve into its secret origins in the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, its revolutionary technology, and its competition against the Northrop YF-23. Following the main feature, we present a special short documentary on the YF-23, the incredible aircraft that lost the competition.

In the 1980s, the U.S. Air Force, facing new threats from the Soviet Union's Su-27 and MiG-29, needed a fighter that could guarantee air dominance for decades. The answer was the ATF program, a competition to build a jet that blended three revolutionary capabilities: stealth, supercruise (supersonic flight without afterburner), and extreme agility (thanks to thrust-vectoring engines).

This film tells the story of the winner: Lockheed's YF-22. We explore its design, from its faceted stealth skin to its integrated avionics that gave the pilot unprecedented situational awareness, a concept known as "first look, first shot, first kill." Learn interesting, lesser-known facts, such as how the "Raptor" name was originally "Lightning II," and how its computers process more data than any previous fighter, truly making it a "flying brain."

This documentary is followed by a special feature on the aircraft that almost won: the Northrop YF-23 Black Widow II. We investigate this sleek, radical competitor, an aircraft that was reportedly faster and even stealthier than the YF-22. We explore its unique design, like the "trough" exhaust-cooling system, and analyze the complex reasons why the Air Force ultimately chose the F-22, a decision that remains one of the most debated "what ifs" in modern aviation history.

General Information: The ATF Competitors

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor (Winner)
Role: 5th-Generation Air Superiority Stealth Fighter
Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin / Boeing
First Flight (YF-22): 1990
Key Features:
Thrust Vectoring: 2D nozzles allow for extreme maneuverability.
Supercruise: Can maintain Mach 1.5+ without afterburners.
Stealth: A balanced design prioritizing agility while maintaining a very-low-observable radar signature.
Sensor Fusion: Advanced avionics that fuse all sensor data into a single, simple tactical display for the pilot.

Northrop YF-23 Black Widow II (Loser)
Role: 5th-Generation Stealth Fighter Prototype
Manufacturer: Northrop / McDonnell Douglas
First Flight: 1990
Key Features:
Advanced Stealth: A radical "diamond wing" design believed to have a smaller radar cross-section than the YF-22.
Speed: Reportedly faster than the YF-22, also capable of supercruise.
Infrared Masking: Engine exhaust was channeled through wide, flat "troughs" lined with heat-absorbing tiles, dramatically reducing its heat signature from below.
Control: Used "ruddervators" (combined rudder/elevator surfaces) instead of a traditional tail, which was stealthier but less proven for high agility.

To support/join the channel ➤    / @dronescapes  

➤ More aircraft and history videos:    / @dronescapes  
➤ Join the channel:    / @dronescapes  
➤ THREADS: https://www.threads.net/@dronescapesv...
➤ FB:   / dronescapesvideos  
➤ Reddit:   / atellani  
➤ IG:   / dronescapesvideos  
➤ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/dronescapes....
➤ Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dronescap...
➤ X/Twitter: https://dronescapes.video/2p89vedj

VIDEO SERIES:

🎥U.S. AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/US
🎥AVIATION VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/aviation
🎥GERMAN AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/WWIIGermany
🎥BRITISH AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/British
🎥ERIC BROWN VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/EricBrown
🎥B-29 VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/B29
🎥VIETNAM AND KOREA: https://dronescapes.video/Vietnam
🎥TURBOJET VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Turbojet
🎥SUPERSONIC VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/fastest
🎥EXTREME AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Extreme
🎥STRANGE PLANES VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Extreme
🎥COLD WAR ERA VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/ColdWar
🎥 WW2 VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/WW2

#F22Raptor #YF23 #StealthFighter