"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
...

Conversely, Northrop was partnered with MacAir who had a good
management record and production reputation for F-4, F-15 and F-18.
Lockheed was linked with Boeing and GD.

Northrop's B-2 managment had shot themselves in the foot comming back from
lunch drunk. That caused a bias against Northrop's managment by the
government.

There was also a critical issue with the pilots liking the displays, as Lt
Col Couch had rejected the B-2's display system on first flight. The pilots
liked the YF-22 displays best.

Additionally, the YF-23 program resisted the DARPA subsidy for using Ada in
critical systems, while Lockheed pledged compliance. Lockmart had also been
more co-operative in delivering a prototype of what the contract asked for,
while Northrop tried to deliver what the government wanted now.

So, in the three politically sensitive issues for the selection, the YF-22
held the best hand.