YF-24 article

[famvburg]

Saw this on another forum. http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2013/02/was-there-ever-a-yf-24.html

 

[jsport]

WOW, given the commentary on this forum about the fat-35. WOW.
Thank you for sharing.

 

[Johnbr]

Great find.

 

[Stargazer]

That's pretty old info, folks... :

The so-called Model 24 was discussed here a while ago, and the possibility of a connection between MRF-24 and F-24 was also debated...

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,528.msg145959.html#msg145959

 

[jsport]

That's pretty old info, folks... :

The so-called Model 24 was discussed here a while ago, and the possibility of a connection between MRF-24 and F-24 was also debated...

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,528.msg145959.html#msg145959

Thank you for the reminder sir. yes, remember seeing the entry. However, whether true or not, the below reference to 'flying one' is an interesting topic.

The NG BAE proposal wasn't "Fat-35 like that" either. a bit late now, and compromisng is fine but setting aerodynamics aside has its limits.

Col. Joseph A. Lanni, USAF Biography

 

[Dynoman]

Jsport, interesting observation. If you look at Lanni's biography, from the time he was graduated from USAF Test Pilot School (June 1989) and the time he left the Classified test Squadron (June 1997) to go to the National War College to prepare him for more administrative duties (the road to Generalship) he was most likely a contender for flight test duties.

To narrow the speculative band, he was at Eglin AFB (July 1989-June 1992), which is usually a duty involving systems level flight test. So the most 'probable' time he would have been associated as a lead test pilot on a new experimental aircraft requiring the expanse of the flight test ranges of Edwards and Groom Lake would have been between 1994 and 1997 (three years).

February 1994 – June 1995, Operations officer, 413th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

July 1995 – June 1997, Commander, Classified Flight Test Squadron

The Model YF-24 Final report was issued for evaluation for the Oct 1994- Jan 1996 time frame. Which means the aircraft could have been a rapid prototype built and flown possibly between 1995-1997.

All dates for the documentation of YF-24 and Lanni's experiential timeframe for flying a YF-24 are very 'coincidental.'

 

[flateric]

It's obvious that if Model 24 was ever built (that wasn't) it never would be covered in such amount of secrecy. So if Lanni really flew anything classified, it would not be another light fighter project that jumped like frog out of a box - no funding, no explainable timeline, nothing.

 

[jsport]

It's obvious that if Model 24 was ever built (that wasn't) it never would be covered in such amount of secrecy. So if Lanni really flew anything classified, it would not be another light fighter project that jumped like frog out of a box - no funding, no explainable timeline, nothing.

I'm ittle slow here sir, so can you please rephrase your argument so I can understand.
..cause if classified there would be no frog like behavior ..there would be nothing discernable and why do you think you know what justifies a level classification?

 

[flateric]

Still black program, another one parallel to MRF/ASTOVL/JAST/JSF (hence appearing from nowhere like frog out of a box) to build single-seat multi-role fighter, still under wraps (and constantly appearing in contractor reports, NASA reports etc)? Wuahaha.

 

[jsport]

Still black program, another one parallel to MRF/ASTOVL/JAST/JSF (hence appearing from nowhere like frog out of a box) to build single-seat multi-role fighter, still under wraps (and constantly appearing in contractor reports, NASA reports etc)? Wuahaha.

thank you, got it,

 

[Ian33]

On 'abovetopsecret.com' there is a thread about the LRS-B. Inside that thread 'Boomer135' confirms the YF-24 as a model he has refuelled, and that it was testing retractable canards.

 

[quellish]

On 'abovetopsecret.com' there is a thread about the LRS-B. Inside that thread 'Boomer135' confirms the YF-24 as a model he has refuelled, and that it was testing retractable canards.

You can see it here:
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,398.msg166555.html#msg166555

 

[Colonial-Marine]

What's so special about retractable canards that the existence of the aircraft would be kept such a secret?

 

[quellish]

What's so special about retractable canards that the existence of the aircraft would be kept such a secret?

They're not canards, they're strakes.
Who says anything about the strakes is keeping the program secret?

 

[sferrin]

What's so special about retractable canards that the existence of the aircraft would be kept such a secret?

They're not canards, they're strakes.
Who says anything about the strakes is keeping the program secret?

Would these be for a similar purpose to the Tomcat's glove-vanes?

 

[aim9xray]

Well, the Tomcat's glove vanes were to counteract the rearward center-of-pressure shift experienced in the Mach 1.7 to 2.2 speed range, destabilizing the aircraft (increasing maneuverability) and reducing trim requirements (and therefore drag) - realizing that the F-14 was designed for positive static stability with a conventional (for 1969) augmented flight control system.

Are these conditions and issues that would drive "YF-24" flight control system requirements?

 

[quellish]

Would these be for a similar purpose to the Tomcat's glove-vanes?

They were for pitch and yaw control at high angles of attack, and Boeing's public study found they weren't worth it. Difficult to integrate for low payoff. This study was part of the FATE/ICE work, and used the Boeing MRF-24 as the baseline vehicle.

 

[Black Dog]

Have you seen 'the picture' Quellish?

 

[quellish]

Have you seen 'the picture' Quellish?

The ones in the ICE PDF?

 

[Black Dog]

Have you seen 'the picture' Quellish?

The ones in the ICE PDF?

There is supposed to be a full colour image of the YF-24 somewhere on the internet.

 

[Stargazer]

What to make of this post, dating back 8 years? It used to come with a photo (attached below) that looks totally bogus to me.

An old friend I used to work with forwarded me a photo of a plane that was posted on another forum. Not just any plane, but a secret one that we had worked on together back in 1990.

You could easily mistake it for a regular F-15 but if you look closely you can see that the wings are swept forwards. It’s the YF-24 and we gave it the nickname Eagle II. Only one airframe was assembled and the whole project was conducted in great secrecy. It was to be a contingency in case the ATF program was cancelled. Back then with the collapse of the Soviet Union so close, people in government were asking whether the stealth ATF was really needed. The USAF wanted to be ahead of the game if the ATF was cancelled so it contracted McDonnell Douglas to build the YF-24 just in case. I think it was kept secret even after the YF-22 was selected was because it out performed the YF-22 in almost every aspect except stealth. Anything that reflected badly on the F-22 program was seen as a threat to continued funding so they covered its existence up.

History tells that the ATF program survived and we now have the F-22 as a result. The plane so many of us worked so hard to build is now buried in the desert and forgotten.

When we all first saw the Sukhoi S.37 we shared knowing looks. It wouldn’t surprise me if Russian satellites had been watching the YF-24 from the moment we rolled it out of the hanger.

If anyone knows anything else about the YF-24 program please share it. Too many people worked to hard for this plane to be forgotten in history.

Source: http://www.dreamlandresort.com/forum/messages/18578.html

 

[Jemiba]

... that looks totally bogus to me.

.. and some posts later there even is, what quite probably was the original photo !
http://www.dreamlandresort.com/forum/messages/18583.html

 

[Stargazer]

What I thought. A complete fake (really looked it).

Since it came to illustrate the post I quoted above, there is little chance that its contents is true if the image was false!

 

[lowchi]

Have you seen 'the picture' Quellish?

The ones in the ICE PDF?

There is supposed to be a full colour image of the YF-24 somewhere on the internet.

some guys at the ats and dreamlandresort forums (i think you know who i mean) claim there is a picture of the craft from the boom operator pov

 

[Jemiba]

[...some guys at the ats and dreamlandresort forums (i think you know who i mean) claim there is a picture of the craft from the boom operator pov

Just to give the devil's advocate : Level of detail probably would be more or les the same, as in the photo above
and in an empty sky, it's probably even easier to PS a standard F-15 ! :-\

 

[Black Dog]

imgur?

 

[aliensporebomb]

I'm pretty sure if someone did have a pic from the refuelers POV it's been sanitized from the internet.


The weird thing is, if the F-22 fell thru there was always the F-23 to fall back on so why a YF-24 unless it was fast, cheap and the like.


That diagram of the model 24 looked like a stretched souped up F-16.

 

[quellish]

I'm pretty sure if someone did have a pic from the refuelers POV it's been sanitized from the internet.


The weird thing is, if the F-22 fell thru there was always the F-23 to fall back on so why a YF-24 unless it was fast, cheap and the like.


That diagram of the model 24 looked like a stretched souped up F-16.

MRF-24 was a multi role fighter concept that Boeing was working on leading into JAST/JSF.

 

[John21]

So as I asked in urban legends/mystery aircraft thread, if the YF-24 really existed and was to be a cheaper alternative to the F-22/23, why keep it secret to this day?

 

[Stargazer]

Not just that, but all this talk is based on the assumption that Boeing's MRF-24 and the USAF's YF-24 are one and the same project, which we honestly have no clue about so far.

 

[phrenzy]

Mystery solved? From the f-35 wiki article:

"The JSF development contract was signed on 16 November 1996, and the contract for System Development and Demonstration (SDD) was awarded on 26 October 2001 to Lockheed Martin, whose X-35 beat the Boeing X-32. Although both aircraft met or exceeded requirements, the X-35 design was considered to have less risk and more growth potential.[15] The designation of the new fighter as "F-35" is out-of-sequence with standard DoD aircraft numbering,[16] by which it should have been "F-24". It came as a surprise even to the company, which had been referring to the aircraft in-house by this expected designation.[17]"

A rather convenient new revelation though

 

[Stargazer]

Mystery solved? (...) A rather convenient new revelation though

Exactly. Besides, the F-35A's very first flights were done with the designation "F-35A" applied to them. And the designation had been around for a while even before it flew. This doesn't match the account of pilots flying a "YF-24" prototype, and at an earlier date, too.

There is, however, a possibility that Lockheed may have been surprised by the non-standard designation if they called their Musketeer an "F-24" without being aware that there had already been a secret prototype designated like that (and therefore presumably built by a different manufacturer).

 

[tacitblue]

It was probably a proof of concept demonstrator for the jsf and some key technologies, and since the jsf was expected by everyone to become the f-24, said demonstrator picked up the unofficial designation f-24. its easier to say you flew or refueled an f-24 rather than "article no. 1234" or whatever they're calling these types of aircraft these days.


Has anyone ever considered industrial secrecy when it comes to the question of why some aircraft are never revealed. It's not always a government conspiracy

 

[crusader97]

Any thoughts on the idea that the F/A-18E or early prototype was actually originally designated the YF-24? It is essentially a completely new fighter relative to the original Hornet. This would make it desirable for the DOD and/or Boeing to request a new number designation, at least early on. The problem would have been trying to push a 'new' fighter purchase through congress. It would be much easier for the DOD/Navy to get funding if it is 'just' an upgrade vs a completely new aircraft, so the thinking is to label this new aircraft as a derivative of a known type. Plus, if you look at the timeline, it fits as well with COL Lanni's bio. The biggest question now is, did an early prototype (still designated as YF-24 Super Hornet) make it to Groom Lake for testing of some of the new stealth features? From what I've been able to find, Lanni likely flew the YF-24 sometime in 95-97, and the first flight of the Super Hornet was in 95. Does anyone known when the Super Hornet design was 'officially' designated as the F/A-18E?

 

[Empire]

Any thoughts on the idea that the F/A-18E or early prototype was actually originally designated the YF-24? It is essentially a completely new fighter relative to the original Hornet. This would make it desirable for the DOD and/or Boeing to request a new number designation, at least early on. The problem would have been trying to push a 'new' fighter purchase through congress. It would be much easier for the DOD/Navy to get funding if it is 'just' an upgrade vs a completely new aircraft, so the thinking is to label this new aircraft as a derivative of a known type. Plus, if you look at the timeline, it fits as well with COL Lanni's bio. The biggest question now is, did an early prototype (still designated as YF-24 Super Hornet) make it to Groom Lake for testing of some of the new stealth features? From what I've been able to find, Lanni likely flew the YF-24 sometime in 95-97, and the first flight of the Super Hornet was in 95. Does anyone known when the Super Hornet design was 'officially' designated as the F/A-18E?

interesting theory crusader97 and there is a radar pole model leading to that theory. The topic is in the aerospace area under Boeing bullish about F-18 and future projects, I think the title was.

 

[Q-nimbus]

Saw this on another forum. http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2013/02/was-there-ever-a-yf-24.html

I’m really interested in this article, however, it’s no longer there. I can’t find it on the Wayback Machine either. Anyone who perhaps has a working link?

Also, it’s 25 years sinds Lanni supposedly flew the YF-24, and 7 years since the last post in this thread. Does anyone meanwhile have found something new?

 

[Vahe Demirjian]

Saw this on another forum. http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2013/02/was-there-ever-a-yf-24.html

I’m really interested in this article, however, it’s no longer there. I can’t find it on the Wayback Machine either. Anyone who perhaps has a working link?

Also, it’s 25 years sinds Lanni supposedly flew the YF-24, and 7 years since the last post in this thread. Does anyone meanwhile have found something new?

There's a blog post with the same article title at this link:

Was There Ever a YF-24?

Was there ever a YF-24? The US Air Force says no. "Our historians said there is no record of there ever having been a YF-24," says Lt C...

thedragonstales.blogspot.com

It is possible that YF-24 was applied to a Cuban MiG-29 or MiG-21 that defected to Key West, Florida, in the early 1990s due to Cuban airmen recognizing the high costs associated with shipping spare parts for Cuba's MiG fleet from the former USSR due to the Soviet Union's collapse throwing Cuba into a massive economic tailspin, and that Lanni flew an ex-Cuban MiG in Nevada because he was assigned to the test squadron at Eglin AFB and several captured, crashed, or defected MiGs were flown in Nevada during the Cold War, not to mention that the USAF may have wanted to examine the weaknesses of the MiG-29 relative to the F-15 and F-16 due to the MiG-29 being no match for the F-15 in Operation Desert Storm.

 

[Q-nimbus]

Saw this on another forum. http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2013/02/was-there-ever-a-yf-24.html

I’m really interested in this article, however, it’s no longer there. I can’t find it on the Wayback Machine either. Anyone who perhaps has a working link?

Also, it’s 25 years sinds Lanni supposedly flew the YF-24, and 7 years since the last post in this thread. Does anyone meanwhile have found something new?

There's a blog post with the same article title at this link:

Was There Ever a YF-24?

Was there ever a YF-24? The US Air Force says no. "Our historians said there is no record of there ever having been a YF-24," says Lt C...

thedragonstales.blogspot.com

It is possible that YF-24 was applied to a Cuban MiG-29 or MiG-21 that defected to Key West, Florida, in the early 1990s due to Cuban airmen recognizing the high costs associated with shipping spare parts for Cuba's MiG fleet from the former USSR due to the Soviet Union's collapse throwing Cuba into a massive economic tailspin, and that Lanni flew an ex-Cuban MiG in Nevada because he was assigned to the test squadron at Eglin AFB and several captured, crashed, or defected MiGs were flown in Nevada during the Cold War, not to mention that the USAF may have wanted to examine the weaknesses of the MiG-29 relative to the F-15 and F-16 due to the MiG-29 being no match for the F-15 in Operation Desert Storm.

Thank you very much for providing the link, even though it didn’t give any new insights.

Over at Dreamland Resort I once postulated that the YF-24 may have been a captured Russian jet. Reason for this is that according to Lanni’s biography he was assigned to the 6513th Test Squadron and the 413th Flight Test Squadron. These squadrons are the famous Red Hats: the squadron that tested captured foreign, mostly Soviet, airframes.

After that he was assigned as a commander to a ‘Flight Test Squadron’.

I can not find find for certain when he actually flew the YF-24, but it must almost certainly have been during one of these assignments from 1989 to 1997. Some people state it was between 1994 and 1996, but this is unproven.

So that would have been when Lanni was assigned to the 413th Flight Test Squadron, and/or to the ‘Special Projects Flight Test Squadron’, a classified squadron.

According to Peter Merlin, who I hold in great esteem and who is a true authority on this subject, the ‘Flight Test Squadron’ in this case refers to the Special Projects Flight Test Squadron. And although he didn’t say it explicitly, he hinted the YF-24 wasn’t a captured Russian or other FME-material.

But as much as I respect Peter Merlin, I’m not convinced to be honest - unless he knows something that he can’t tell. I don’t believe there are any classified prototypes from the nineties that have yet to be declassified, except for maybe a few stealth predecessors for the Darkstar drone, and perhaps one, maybe two manned prototypes (most likely stealth prototypes). Certainly nothing operational. (But I sure hope I’m wrong!).

We know for a fact however that there are many foreign airframes still flying around in Nevada these days. The thing is that this is done relatively open; there are plenty of pictures of Mig’s and Sukhoi’s buzzin’ the skies above Groom Lake, even though the USAF doesn’t admit that they have ‘m.

The reason they’re so tight lipped about them is not that is a secret that they posses foreign aircraft; it’s HOW they got those aircraft that’s classified and probably will be for some time; especially now that things are heating up again with Russia and China.

So if I were a betting man I would say the YF-24 is a captured foreign jet. But it’s circumstancial evidence, and meagre evidence as well.

I’m also pretty sure the Russians, Chinese and most other foreign intelligence agencies know what the YF-24 is. They won’t tell however; I’m afraid we mere mortals are the last ones to find out.

I hope that as more and more information becomes available, we’ll slowly be able to connect the dots and find out what the YF-24 was.

 

[Morgan]

Saw this on another forum. http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2013/02/was-there-ever-a-yf-24.html

I’m really interested in this article, however, it’s no longer there. I can’t find it on the Wayback Machine either. Anyone who perhaps has a working link?

Also, it’s 25 years sinds Lanni supposedly flew the YF-24, and 7 years since the last post in this thread. Does anyone meanwhile have found something new?

There's a blog post with the same article title at this link:

Was There Ever a YF-24?

Was there ever a YF-24? The US Air Force says no. "Our historians said there is no record of there ever having been a YF-24," says Lt C...

thedragonstales.blogspot.com

It is possible that YF-24 was applied to a Cuban MiG-29 or MiG-21 that defected to Key West, Florida, in the early 1990s due to Cuban airmen recognizing the high costs associated with shipping spare parts for Cuba's MiG fleet from the former USSR due to the Soviet Union's collapse throwing Cuba into a massive economic tailspin, and that Lanni flew an ex-Cuban MiG in Nevada because he was assigned to the test squadron at Eglin AFB and several captured, crashed, or defected MiGs were flown in Nevada during the Cold War, not to mention that the USAF may have wanted to examine the weaknesses of the MiG-29 relative to the F-15 and F-16 due to the MiG-29 being no match for the F-15 in Operation Desert Storm.

Thank you very much for providing the link, even though it didn’t give any new insights.

Over at Dreamland Resort I once postulated that the YF-24 may have been a captured Russian jet. Reason for this is that according to Lanni’s biography he was assigned to the 6513th Test Squadron and the 413th Flight Test Squadron. These squadrons are the famous Red Hats: the squadron that tested captured foreign, mostly Soviet, airframes.

After that he was assigned as a commander to a ‘Flight Test Squadron’.

I can not find find for certain when he actually flew the YF-24, but it must almost certainly have been during one of these assignments from 1989 to 1997. Some people state it was between 1994 and 1996, but this is unproven.

So that would have been when Lanni was assigned to the 413th Flight Test Squadron, and/or to the ‘Special Projects Flight Test Squadron’, a classified squadron.

According to Peter Merlin, who I hold in great esteem and who is a true authority on this subject, the ‘Flight Test Squadron’ in this case refers to the Special Projects Flight Test Squadron. And although he didn’t say it explicitly, he hinted the YF-24 wasn’t a captured Russian or other FME-material.

But as much as I respect Peter Merlin, I’m not convinced to be honest - unless he knows something that he can’t tell. I don’t believe there are any classified prototypes from the nineties that have yet to be declassified, except for maybe a few stealth predecessors for the Darkstar drone, and perhaps one, maybe two manned prototypes (most likely stealth prototypes). Certainly nothing operational. (But I sure hope I’m wrong!).

We know for a fact however that there are many foreign airframes still flying around in Nevada these days. The thing is that this is done relatively open; there are plenty of pictures of Mig’s and Sukhoi’s buzzin’ the skies above Groom Lake, even though the USAF doesn’t admit that they have ‘m.

The reason they’re so tight lipped about them is not that is a secret that they posses foreign aircraft; it’s HOW they got those aircraft that’s classified and probably will be for some time; especially now that things are heating up again with Russia and China.

So if I were a betting man I would say the YF-24 is a captured foreign jet. But it’s circumstancial evidence, and meagre evidence as well.

I’m also pretty sure the Russians, Chinese and most other foreign intelligence agencies know what the YF-24 is. They won’t tell however; I’m afraid we mere mortals are the last ones to find out.

I hope that as more and more information becomes available, we’ll slowly be able to connect the dots and find out what the YF-24 was.

It was hinted a few times that the YF-24 was a Navy program. Wouldn't apply it for being foreign type but purely US. It was hinted by unrelated sources over the years so it is highly possible that it is a fact.

Two other manned prototypes in the 90's? What they were? If they were prototypes then certainly not the fabeled Companion as it was operational back then.

 

[Vahe Demirjian]

Saw this on another forum. http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2013/02/was-there-ever-a-yf-24.html

I’m really interested in this article, however, it’s no longer there. I can’t find it on the Wayback Machine either. Anyone who perhaps has a working link?

Also, it’s 25 years sinds Lanni supposedly flew the YF-24, and 7 years since the last post in this thread. Does anyone meanwhile have found something new?

There's a blog post with the same article title at this link:

Was There Ever a YF-24?

Was there ever a YF-24? The US Air Force says no. "Our historians said there is no record of there ever having been a YF-24," says Lt C...

thedragonstales.blogspot.com

It is possible that YF-24 was applied to a Cuban MiG-29 or MiG-21 that defected to Key West, Florida, in the early 1990s due to Cuban airmen recognizing the high costs associated with shipping spare parts for Cuba's MiG fleet from the former USSR due to the Soviet Union's collapse throwing Cuba into a massive economic tailspin, and that Lanni flew an ex-Cuban MiG in Nevada because he was assigned to the test squadron at Eglin AFB and several captured, crashed, or defected MiGs were flown in Nevada during the Cold War, not to mention that the USAF may have wanted to examine the weaknesses of the MiG-29 relative to the F-15 and F-16 due to the MiG-29 being no match for the F-15 in Operation Desert Storm.

Thank you very much for providing the link, even though it didn’t give any new insights.

Over at Dreamland Resort I once postulated that the YF-24 may have been a captured Russian jet. Reason for this is that according to Lanni’s biography he was assigned to the 6513th Test Squadron and the 413th Flight Test Squadron. These squadrons are the famous Red Hats: the squadron that tested captured foreign, mostly Soviet, airframes.

After that he was assigned as a commander to a ‘Flight Test Squadron’.

I can not find find for certain when he actually flew the YF-24, but it must almost certainly have been during one of these assignments from 1989 to 1997. Some people state it was between 1994 and 1996, but this is unproven.

So that would have been when Lanni was assigned to the 413th Flight Test Squadron, and/or to the ‘Special Projects Flight Test Squadron’, a classified squadron.

According to Peter Merlin, who I hold in great esteem and who is a true authority on this subject, the ‘Flight Test Squadron’ in this case refers to the Special Projects Flight Test Squadron. And although he didn’t say it explicitly, he hinted the YF-24 wasn’t a captured Russian or other FME-material.

But as much as I respect Peter Merlin, I’m not convinced to be honest - unless he knows something that he can’t tell. I don’t believe there are any classified prototypes from the nineties that have yet to be declassified, except for maybe a few stealth predecessors for the Darkstar drone, and perhaps one, maybe two manned prototypes (most likely stealth prototypes). Certainly nothing operational. (But I sure hope I’m wrong!).

We know for a fact however that there are many foreign airframes still flying around in Nevada these days. The thing is that this is done relatively open; there are plenty of pictures of Mig’s and Sukhoi’s buzzin’ the skies above Groom Lake, even though the USAF doesn’t admit that they have ‘m.

The reason they’re so tight lipped about them is not that is a secret that they posses foreign aircraft; it’s HOW they got those aircraft that’s classified and probably will be for some time; especially now that things are heating up again with Russia and China.

So if I were a betting man I would say the YF-24 is a captured foreign jet. But it’s circumstancial evidence, and meagre evidence as well.

I’m also pretty sure the Russians, Chinese and most other foreign intelligence agencies know what the YF-24 is. They won’t tell however; I’m afraid we mere mortals are the last ones to find out.

I hope that as more and more information becomes available, we’ll slowly be able to connect the dots and find out what the YF-24 was.

It was hinted a few times that the YF-24 was a Navy program. Wouldn't apply it for being foreign type but purely US. It was hinted by unrelated sources over the years so it is highly possible that it is a fact.

Two other manned prototypes in the 90's? What they were? If they were prototypes then certainly not the fabeled Companion as it was operational back then.

If you were hinted a few times that YF-24 was a Navy program, did someone privately tell you about YF-24 being reserved by the Navy for the canceled NATF program, given that the NATF program was intended to produce a stealthy replacement for the F-14?