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Northrop
YF-17 "Cobra" (Prototype #1) at the Western Museum of Flight |
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Two
prototypes of Northrop's Air Combat Fighter design were built in 1973-74.
YF-17 "Cobra" Number 1 is at the Western Museum of Flight, Hawthorne,
California. |
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YF-17 "Cobra" Number 2 is at the US Naval Aviation
Museum, Pensacola, Florida. YF-17 "Cobra" Number 1 made its first
flight at Edwards AFB on 9 June 1974 with Northrop Chief Test Pilot Hank
Chouteau at the controls. It went supersonic in level flight, without afterburner,
on its second flight.
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Both
YF-17 "Cobra" prototypes were employed as F-18 demonstration vehicles
in the 1976-1979 time period. They were flown by pilots from NASA, the US
Navy, the USMC, and foreign countries. Between 1980-1985, both the YF-17
"Cobras" remained in a preservative cocoon state at the Northrop
Palmdale, California facility. YF-17 "Cobra" Number 1 has been
placed on loan by the USMC to the Western Museum of Flight for restoration
and long term static display. |
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Northrop
YF-17 "Cobra" Specifications Manufacturer: Northrop Corporation, Aircraft Division, Hawthorne, California Number Built: Two Wing Span: 35 feet Overall Length: 55 feet, 6 inches Overall Height: 14 feet, 6 inches Wing Area: 350 sq. feet Clean Takeoff Weight: 23,000 lbs. |
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Maximum
Takeoff Weight: 30,630 lbs. Speed (Maximum): Mach 1.95 Speed (Cruising): Mach 0.85 Ferry Range (W/Tanks): 2,800 miles Service Ceiling: 60,000 feet Powerplants: (2) GE YJ101 Turbojets rated at 15,000-lb thrust. Armament: (1) 20-mm Gatling gun (2) Wing tip IR missiles (4) Pylon stations for stores Link |
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YF-17
— The Cobra Survivors For many, the FY-17 Cobra is a little-known footnote in late 20th century military aircraft history. But its bloodlines developed into two very important front-line Navy jets, one of which is just starting its long career. To begin this story, we have to rewind to the mid- and late-1960's. Northrop was doing a good business supplying F-5 jets to the free world. The F-5A Freedom Fighter was a small, simple aircraft that was easy to fly, easy to maintain, and did its job in a cost-effective manner. Northrop came to the conclusion that there would be a global market for an up-rated version of the F-5 that could fly Mach 2. This plane was called the P-530. |
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The
P-530 program was unveiled in early 1971. While it was a capable aircraft,
there were no buyers. To make matters worse, the USAF was afraid of the
P-530, thinking that it could cause problems for the F-15 Eagle program.
The P-530 program stumbled since foreign nations were not going to buy a
plane that the USAF did not use. The F-15 itself was in flux given that
the Soviets unveiled the Mig-25, which could hit Mach 2.8, faster than any
front-line western jet. As a result, the F-15 was enlarged to carry bigger
engines, more fuel, longer range radar, and heavier weapons. That made the
F-15 price that much more expensive. |
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The
growth of the F-15 turned out to be an opportunity in disguise. The
F-15 was now so expensive that the USAF could not afford to equip all
of its squadrons. The Pentagon came up with the concept of a smaller
and less expensive Lightweight Fighter Program. Eventually, the nod
was given to General Dynamics to build two YF-16 demonstrators, while
Northrop would build two YF-17s based on the P-530 (now called the P-600).
The Air Force would fly the prototypes head to head and pick a winner. |
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Both
the YF-16 and YF-17 performed well. The YF-17 became the first USAF aircraft
to break the sound barrier in level flight without using afterburners. While
the YF-17 outperformed the YF-16 in many areas, the YF-16 used a proven
engine, it had longer range, and was less expensive. As a result, the YF-16
won the contest, and went on to be produced in large numbers as the Fighting
Falcon. The two YF-17 were sent to NASA, which used them for research for
a few years before retiring the two prototypes. |
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That
was not, however, the end of the story. The US Navy needed an airplane to
replace the carrier-based F-4 Phantom II, A-6 Intruder, and A-7 Corsair
II. The Navy preferred two engines when flying over open water, so the F-16
was not a choice. Northrop determined that they could adapt the YF-17 design
to naval use by refining the design and beefing up the landing gear. The
Navy accepted the proposal, and the F-18 program was born. |
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As
the Hornet, the F-18 was produced in large numbers. First came the A model,
a single seat, and the two seat B. A second version followed, the single
seat C and two seat D. Over time, the Navy became aware of problems with
the Hornet, namely, short range and light bomb load. A new generation of
Super-Hornets were deployed, F-18 E and F models that are about 30 percent
larger than the original Hornet, and the Cobra it descended from. |
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Mockup
YF-17 New York City NY Intrepid Air & Space Museum Displayed indoors. 72-1569 YF-17 Hawthorn CA Western Museum Of Flight Displayed indoors. 72-1570 YF-17 Mobile AL USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park Displayed indoors. Link |
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DRAWINGS http://www.wmof.com/yf17.htm |
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NORTHROP
YF-17 "COBRA" JRLucariny FS2002/2004 Model |