Air Superiority Fighter Rivalry

In the mid- to late 1980s, Russia put into service a pair of advanced fighter aircraft to counter
American fighters, including the F-15, the F-14 Tomcat, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the
F/A-18 Hornet.
Two important fighter aircraft from the Soviet Union—the Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29
Fulcrum and the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker—had been operational since early 1985 and mid-
1988, respectively. In response, the USAF initiated a program in mid-1983 to create a new
air superiority fighter for the 1990s and beyond. Intended to counter both existing and
future Soviet fighters, the new aircraft was called the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF).
The USAF's Aeronautical Systems Division (ASD) at Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio,
created its ATF System Program Office (SPO), and the ATF program was officially begun.
ATF design concepts were solicited in September 1983. The ATF SPO awarded contracts
valued at about $1 million each to seven airframe contractors: the Boeing Airplane Company,
General Dynamics, Grumman Aerospace Corporation, Lockheed Corporation,
McDonnell Douglas Corporation, Northrop Corporation, and Rockwell International,
North American Aircraft. The respective ATF concepts had to be received by the ATF SPO
on July 31,1984.
Two powerplant contractors—General Electric and Pratt & Whitney, were selected to
participate in the ATF program under a 50-month duration Joint Advanced Fighter Engine
(JAFE) program whereby each firm received identical $202 million contracts in October
1983. One of these engines would ultimately provide the propulsion system for the winning
ATF aircraft.