The Northrop YF-23 team personnel chose the name Black Widow
II - commemorating the Northrop P-61 Black Widow, the first
US aircraft specifically designed as a night-fighter.
Northrop-McDonnell
Douglas YF-23
Two YF-23 prototypes were designed and built by Northrop and McDonnell Douglas for the demonstration and evaluation phase of the U.S. Air Force's Advanced Tactical Fighter selection program. In April 1991, the Air Force selected Lockheed's YF-22 design for full-scale development.