Editing Advanced Tactical Fighter (section)

{{Short description|U.S. Air Force stealth air superiority fighter program}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Infobox aircraft
  |name= Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF)
  |image= YF-22 and YF-23.jpg
  |caption= The YF-22 (foreground) and YF-23 (background)
  |aim= [[Air superiority fighter]]
  |requirement=Advanced Tactical Fighter Statement of Operational Need (November 1984), System Operational Requirements Document (December 1987)
  |issuer= United States Air Force
  |service=
  |value= $US 86.6 billion when winner was selected<ref name=GS>Pike, John. [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-22-history.htm "History of the F-22 program"]. Globalsecurity.org, 21 January 2008.</ref>
  |initiated={{Start date|1981|05}} (RFI), {{Start date|1985|09}} (RFP)
  |proposals= proposals from [[Boeing]], [[General Dynamics]], [[Grumman]], [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]], [[Northrop Corporation|Northrop]], [[McDonnell Douglas]], and [[Rockwell International|North American Rockwell]]<ref name=Miller_p14-9>Miller 2005, pp. 14, 19.</ref>
  |prototypes= [[Lockheed YF-22]], [[Northrop YF-23]]
  |concluded= {{End date|1991|08}}
  |outcome= Lockheed team selected for full-scale development of the [[Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor|F-22]] for production and service
  |predecessors=
  |successors=
  |related= JAFE/ATFE, NATF, [[Have Dash II]]
}}

The '''Advanced Tactical Fighter''' ('''ATF''') was a program undertaken by the [[United States Air Force]] to develop a next-generation [[air superiority fighter]] to replace the [[McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle|F-15 Eagle]]. The proposed fighter was intended to counter emerging worldwide threats in the 1980s, including Soviet [[Sukhoi Su-27]] and [[Mikoyan MiG-29]] fighters under development, [[Beriev A-50]] airborne warning and control systems (AWACS), and increasingly sophisticated [[surface-to-air missile]] systems.

The ATF would make a leap in performance and capability by taking advantage of emerging technologies, including advanced avionics and flight control systems, more powerful propulsion systems, and stealth technology. [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]] and [[Northrop Corporation|Northrop]] were selected in 1986 as finalists for the program's Demonstration and Validation (Dem/Val) phase. They would be the lead contractors to respectively develop the [[Lockheed YF-22|YF-22]] and [[Northrop YF-23|YF-23]] technology demonstrator prototypes, the associated avionics prototypes, and the system specification; the prototype aircraft were flight tested in 1990.

After evaluations, the Lockheed team was selected in 1991 for ATF full-scale development, or [[Manufacturing readiness level#Definitions|Engineering and Manufacturing Development]] (EMD). The Lockheed team developed their design into the [[Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor|F-22 Raptor]], which first flew in 1997, for production and operational service; a naval version of the ATF (called NATF) was considered as an [[Grumman F-14 Tomcat|F-14 Tomcat]] replacement but was later canceled due to costs.