F-23A enters production

[Spey_Phantom]

Belgium, for Patrick H, frrbel and me  B)  

[Spey_Phantom]

Denmark

[Spey_Phantom]

and last one for today: Pakistan

tomorrow im gonna start working on:

-Norway
-Finland
-UK
-Spain
-Italy

there's gonna be plenty more to come

[Radish]

I just LOVE the F-23 shape. Got a few Italeri 1/72nd kits to have a go at.
A fantastic looker, much more attractive than the F-22.
A pity there isn't a 1/48th kit, and I suppose there never will be.

Nice profiles, too.  

[philp]

Always thought it would look good in Estonian or Botswanan markings.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Is there any good references for the two seat F-23B available?  I have yet to see anything on a two seater.  Anyone?  

[elmayerle]

A pity there isn't a 1/48th kit, and I suppose there never will be.

Actually, there is.  This is a limited run job from Collectaire Models and it's bloody expensive at $209.95.

I don't know that a two-seater design has ever appeared in the open press, but I'd be willing to bet it's lurking somewhere in NGC's files.  I do know the production version would've been longer with two weapons bays, with a moveable bulkhead like that on the B-1B.  The front one for IRAAMS (Sidewinder et al) and the back one for AMRAAMs and such.  My RF-23 will have that stretch but with a LO recce pallet in place.

[elmayerle]

wasnt the F23 more expensive than the F22?

Actually, nope.  I was at Northrop at the time and they lost the competition on the upper management side, not on the technical or cost side.  That's one reason you started seeing some major upper management changes after that.  For what it's worth, with the same engine as the YF-22, the YF-23 was both faster, stealthier, and, I believe - since I'm having to remember back 13 or so years - that it was at least as nimble without the complications of vectored nozzles.

PS.  You don't want to see what the navalized version looked like, it was rather more, IMHO, ugly.

[anthonyp]

PS.  You don't want to see what the navalized version looked like, it was rather more, IMHO, ugly.

Oh, come one, you know better than to tease us like that.  Yes, we do.  I mean, it can't be uglier than the X-32  

   

[Son of Damian]

QUOTE (B777LR @ Mar 8 2006, 07:03 AM)
wasnt the F23 more expensive than the F22? 


Actually, nope. I was at Northrop at the time and they lost the competition on the upper management side, not on the technical or cost side. That's one reason you started seeing some major upper management changes after that. For what it's worth, with the same engine as the YF-22, the YF-23 was both faster, stealthier, and, I believe - since I'm having to remember back 13 or so years - that it was at least as nimble without the complications of vectored nozzles.

PS. You don't want to see what the navalized version looked like, it was rather more, IMHO, ugly.

From what I have read on the YF-23 it was Faster, Cheaper, Stealthier, and used parts from other planes in production like the landing gear of the F-18 and insrument panel from the F-15E. And yet no one has completely explained why the AF didn't chose it???    

I have always wondered how much cheaper the YF-23 would have been over the F-22 had it gone into production and suffered the same amount of price inflation as the F-22.

Also how ugly are we talking for the naval version???

[Son of Damian]

QUOTE (Radish @ Mar 8 2006, 01:28 PM)
A pity there isn't a 1/48th kit, and I suppose there never will be.

Actually, there is. This is a limited run job from Collectaire Models and it's bloody expensive at $209.95.

And why is it that you can't find any cool X-plane (A-12 Avenger II, YF-23 Black Widow) in 1/48 that dosen't cost a truck load?!?!?     And the worst part is that no large company (Revell, Hasegawa) will want to make one once it loses the production contract.  

[elmayerle]

PS.  You don't want to see what the navalized version looked like, it was rather more, IMHO, ugly.

Oh, come one, you know better than to tease us like that.  Yes, we do.  I mean, it can't be uglier than the X-32  

Well, how about "IMHO, not quite as ugly as the X-32"?   what I can remember from the one time I saw the model was a canarded delta with twin canted verticals, both of which had saw-tooth trailing edges.  The inlets were moved forward to under the LERX that supported the canards and the fuselage ws deepened to get the ncessary fuel tankage.

[Guest]

4 more profiles:

-Flanders Air Command



-Spanish Air Force



-Royal Air Force


-Royal Navy



more following  B)  

[Spey_Phantom]

got more to come, but got some F*cking problems with IE
if you cant see my name and avatar above, thats cause my connection keeps faling out    

[anthonyp]

Well, how about "IMHO, not quite as ugly as the X-32"?   what I can remember from the one time I saw the model was a canarded delta with twin canted verticals, both of which had saw-tooth trailing edges.  The inlets were moved forward to under the LERX that supported the canards and the fuselage ws deepened to get the ncessary fuel tankage.

Wait, I've seen something similar to this, but it's been years and I never had a copy of the picture, so I can't share.  (bells and whistles going off as two and two are put together)  So that's what that was!! :dum:

Nice profiles, Nils, keep 'em coming!