By Kris Osborn, Warrior

Tailless 6th-generation stealth has exploded into the reality of future fighter-jet technology as a modern, extremely cutting edge breakthrough in the realm of air combat. The ability to vector like a fighter jet, yet sustain a fully horizontal blended wing-body bomber-like stealth configuration, is heralded as a paradigm-changing development in the realm of air combat.  

However, what if early breakthroughs in the realm of the now airborne 6th-generation Air Force stealth fighter could  be traced back nearly 30-years? The answer may be yes, should one take a close look at the experimental Lockheed Martin X-44 Multi-Axis No-Tail Aircraft (MANTA) envisioned in 1999. 

A “Tailless F-22?” 

The X-44 was engineered to be a “tailless” completely horizontal stealth fighter jet capable of vectoring without needing a tail, vertical stabilizers or fins of any kind. Sound familiar? 

This kind of ultra stealth technology built into a high-speed maneuverable stealth fighter jet appears to be a major conceptual foundation of now emerging F-47 6th-gen aircraft. US Air Force’s renderings of the F-47 show tailless, full horizontal, stealthy airframes consistent with these initial conceptual visions of the X-44 MANTA. 

Of course a fully horizontal, bomber-like blended wing-body is much stealthier than a plane with vertical structures, yet the possibility of building one able to “thrust vector” and maneuver in an F-22-like fashion without vertical structures align with the kinds of “huge” breakthrough now built into 6th-gen.  Was conceptual work fundamental to current 6th-gen aircraft  explored or anticipated as far back as 1999 with visions and conceptual work on the X-44 MANTA?  Simply put, the MANTA was envisioned as an airframe that could fully pitch, yaw and roll without any vertical structures or tailpipes. 

Although the project was cancelled for budget reasons, its conceptual existence seems to have had a long-term impact. The influence of this vision suggests that the X-44 MANTA is something which, in retrospect, should never have been cancelled. Perhaps the US Air Force could have had a 6th-generation stealth fighter decades before one arrived? 

New Aerodynamic Breakthrough

The ability to vector without vertical structures and fin stabilizers does seem to represent a paradigm-changing aerodynamic breakthrough, given that tails and fins are known to be critical to directing the kinds of airflow surrounding the plane needed to turn sharply and maneuver at high speeds. The largest advantage of a fully horizontal aircraft, just to the observer's eye, would exist in the realm of stealth. 

Vertical structures are easier for air defenses and enemy radar to detect, because they offer objects and sharp angles which electromagnetic “pings” can bounce off and offer a return rendering. Specifically, should massive amounts of electromagnetic signals, traveling at the speed of light, bounce off different angles, structures and protruding areas of a fuselage, an enemy radar is much more likely to get a clear picture or “rendering” of an object.  Fully horizontal blended wing-body designs, such as the B-2, are known as the stealthiest kinds of planes in existence as they appear like a “bird” to enemy radar. There are no sharp structures off of which electromagnetic pings can bounce, yet “broadband” stealth kinds of platforms cannot maneuver like an F-22. A B-2 would rely upon altitude, speed and the highest available stealth configuration to elude air defenses.

With vertical structures, however, an F-22 might appear less stealthy than a B-2, meaning it would need to use speed and maneuver to supplement its stealth configuration to avoid being target locked by enemy ground radar. 

Broadband Stealth

Broadband stealth such as that built into a B-2 or B-21, for example, is engineered to elude lower frequency “surveillance” radar as well as high-frequency “engagement” radar. The idea is to conduct clandestine missions without an enemy ever knowing the aircraft is there.   An F-22 or F-35, for example, might elude “engagement radar” but potentially still be picked up by long-range, low frequency “surveillance” radar able to determine that something is “there.”  Surveillance radar may be able to see that there is a “threat” somewhere in a large area but it cannot engage, lock-on or fully “engage” a target, This means an F-22 can use its speed, maneuverability and stealth to destroy enemy air defenses without being successfully targeted or hit. Narrowly configured, high-speed, high-frequency radar detection is necessary to actually “hit” a target, whereas lower frequency surveillance radar may blanket an area yet remain unable to establish a target lock on an aircraft. 

Stealth and Maneuver

What about combining both of these attributes, broadband stealth and maneuverability, into a single platform? The idea would be to create the stealthiest configuration possible, yet “retain” an ability to maneuver, vector and hit-speeds comparable to an F-22. This is the basis of 6th-Gen, and it appears it can be traced back to Lockheed’s X-44 MANTA in 1999. 

Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.