In September of 1985, the USAF issued a request for proposals (RFP) for an Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) that would be capable of supersonic cruise and maneuver and with a range greater than that of the F-15. It was to take maximum advantage of stealth technology consistent with its primary performance goals. The plan was for the ATF to replace the F-15 in USAF servive.
McDonnell Douglas teamed with Northrop in the building of two prototypes under the designation YF-23. Lockheed teamed with Boeing and General Dynamics to produce the competing YF-22. On April 23, 1991, the Secretary of the Air Force announced that the competing Lockheed/Boeing/General Dynamics YF-22 had been selected as the winner of the ATF competition.
For a time, the Air Force Systems Command considered a proposal for a stripped, “no-frills” Eagle, sometimes known as F-15XX. It was initially considered as a possible low-cost alternative to the ATF, just in case the ATF project ran into technical difficulties or turned out to be too expensive. But the ultimate success of the F-22 program made the F-15XX redundant, and it remained a paper-only project.
Sources:
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Air International, Airscene
-
F-15 Eagle, Robert F. Dorr, World Airpower Journal, Volume 9,
Summer 1992.
- E-mail from Vahe Demirjian on F-15XX.
