raymond%europa@uunet.UU.NET (Raymond Man) (07/30/90)
From: raymond%europa@uunet.UU.NET (Raymond Man) According to Roy Braybrook, the was no doubt the YF-17 would lose when the USAF suddenly change the technology demonstration programmes to a procurement fly-off. YF-16 was a all new design from a clean sheet and GD could optimize every thing from the begining. The YF-17 was a Northrop company project, descended from P530 through P600 cobra. It was always on a tight buget and when the tachnology demonstration program was award, Northrop was just trying to get as much flying hour as possible from the limited fund to prove that vortex lift work. So the YF-17 was an assembly of many different parts from other airplanes, eg under carriage from F-5, front fuselage from A-4(I think) etc, and using a pair of less than adequate engines. So the fly-off was not fair but who said it has to be if one knows how much influence the big guy GD had on the UASF. The Navy's choice of YF-17 did in some way vindicated the design which is actaully more docile at extreme angle of attack than the YF-16. However the force majeure with MD was the price. MD of course did a lot of refinement with the aerodyanmics, but who cannot do a decent job given a good but sub-optimized airplane? In fact, looking at some of the performance figures, one wonders if MD actaully had de-designed the palne. The top speed was only M=1.8 vs the YF-17 M=2+. But of course the F/A-18 has to carry the naval structure and 24 fps landing gear. BTW force majeure is not just a Navy high hand expedite, the UASF did the same thing with the YB-49. According to Dr. Bill Sears*, Chief areodynamist of Northrop at the time, USAF forced Northrop to merge with GD, which made such a low offer that Jack Northrop could not accept. So the USAF went with cutting tools and literally axed the finished prototypes into bits. *Prof. Sears is now professor emeritus at the U. of Arizona. He gives seminars to AIAA students at the start of semesters and recounts many interesting stories. Just call me `Man'. "And why take ye thought for " -- Matt. 6:28 raymond@jupiter.ame.arizona.edu