The X-44 MANTA, which stands for Multi-Axis No Tail Aircraft, is a derivative of the legendary F-22 design from the American company Lockheed Martin, which has a look like in the scenes of science fiction movies.
As Air Force magazine writes, Lockheed Martin may have designed up to six different aircraft that are similar to the F-22 Raptor that have been offered for use by the US Air Force, the Telegraph reports.
Although none of these were accepted, this model reportedly caught the attention of NASA as a research platform that could be used to test the control of a tailless design using a thrust vector. It is about the X-44 MANTA model.
Like the F-22 from which the X-44 was born, it was intended to be invisible to radar. The X-44 concept data shows that it would replace the air intake for the F-22, which was designed to avoid enemy radar, rather than appearing on the screen as a red dot.
Like the B-2 bomber, the X-44's design was tailless. This unique design by "nature" is invisible thanks to the ribs of the butterfly's body. Instead of using standard control surfaces for maneuvering in flight, MANTA maneuvered using a thrust vector, in which the exhaust from the two engines would release gases in different directions.
But even though the X-44 was one of Lockheed Martin's designs, it was considered by the US Air Force as a way of expanding the range of stealth weapons for the enemy.
However, this is one of the rare aircraft without a tail, and if this project is implemented by the Pentagon, then it will completely change the "game" of wars in the sky. /Telegraph/
