The Northrop YF-17 Cobra: The Fighter That Lost... Then Won Everything
Video from the channel Buffalo Airpark about Northrop, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 7:52. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.
What it's about
The video reviews the history of the Northrop YF-17 Cobra. This prototype lost the US Air Force's Lightweight Fighter competition in 1975, but it ended up giving rise to the F/A-18 family.
Historical context
In the early 1970s, the rising cost of the F-15 Eagle led a group of analysts and pilots, the so-called Fighter Mafia, to advocate for a light, highly maneuverable fighter. The program pitted General Dynamics' YF-16 against Northrop's YF-17, which was derived from the in-house P-530 project and from experience with the F-5 family. On January 13, 1975, the Air Force chose the YF-16. It was somewhat lighter and cheaper and used the same F100 engine as the F-15. The Navy preferred a twin-engine fighter for operating over the sea and adopted Northrop's design in partnership with McDonnell Douglas. This gave rise to the F/A-18 Hornet, with folding wings, reinforced landing gear, and F404 engines. The two companies clashed in court over the land-based F-18L version. The dispute ended with a $50 million settlement that left the program in McDonnell Douglas's hands.
Key facts
The leading-edge extensions generated vortices that maintained control at high angles of attack. The General Electric YJ101 engines had a very low bypass ratio. Hank Chouteau made the first flight, lasting 61 minutes, on June 9, 1974. On the second flight the aircraft broke the sound barrier without afterburner. The YF-17 completed 288 sorties and approached Mach 2. Its descendants are the Super Hornet and the EA-18G Growler. Both prototypes are preserved: one at the Western Museum of Flight in California and the other at the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Alabama.