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Lockheed Martin X-44 MANTA (Multi-Axis, No-Tail Aircraft)


Tailless Combat Fighter Technology Demonstrator Proposal


United States | 1999



"The Lockheed X-44 MANTA existed as an offshoot of the then-soon-to-be F-22 Raptor line - it being a tailless aircraft relying on thrust vectoring for extreme agility."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Lockheed Martin X-44 MANTA Tailless Combat Fighter Technology Demonstrator Proposal.
2 x Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 afterburning turbofans developing 35,000 lb of thrust each (estimated).
Propulsion
1,553 mph
2,500 kph | 1,350 kts
Max Speed
49,213 ft
15,000 m | 9 miles
Service Ceiling
1,988 miles
3,200 km | 1,728 nm
Operational Range
Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Lockheed Martin X-44 MANTA Tailless Combat Fighter Technology Demonstrator Proposal.
1
(MANNED)
Crew
62.3 ft
19.00 m
O/A Length
44.5 ft
(13.55 m)
O/A Width
16.4 ft
(5.00 m)
O/A Height
31,967 lb
(14,500 kg)
Empty Weight
55,116 lb
(25,000 kg)
MTOW
Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Lockheed Martin X-44 MANTA (Multi-Axis, No-Tail Aircraft) Tailless Combat Fighter Technology Demonstrator Proposal .
STANDARD:
1 x 20mm internal cannon.

AIR-TO-AIR, STEALTH:
2 x AIM-9 Sidewinders short-ranged air-to-air missiles (internal side weapons bays).
6 x AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-ranged air-to-air missiles (Internal ventral weapons bay).

AIR-TO-AIR, NON-STEALTH:
4 x AIM-9 Sidewinder short-ranged, air-to-air missiles (External, underwing, outboard)
2 x AIM-9 Sidewinder short-ranged air-to-air missiles (Internal side weapons bays).
6 x AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-ranged, air-to-air missiles (Internal ventral weapons bay).

AIR-TO-GROUND, STEALTH:
2 x AIM-9 Sidewinder short-ranged air-to-air missiles (Internal side weapons bays).
2 x AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-ranged, air-to-air missiles (Internal ventral weapons bay).
2 x 1,000lb GBU-32 Joint Direct Munitions (JDAM) (Internal ventral weapons bay).

OPTIONAL, AIR-TO-GROUND, STEALTH:
8 x 250lb GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs) (Internal ventral weapons bay) in place of JDAM.

OPTIONAL, MISCELLANEOUS:
2 x 600 US Gallon external fuel drop tanks underwing, inboard.
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Lockheed Martin X-44 MANTA (Multi-Axis, No-Tail Aircraft) family line.
X-44 MANTA - Base Project Name; cancelled.
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/09/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

During the 1980s, the United States Air Force (USAF) formulated the "Advanced Tactical Fighter" (ATF) program to find America's next frontline combat fighter. This eventually led to a fly-off between the Lockheed Martin YF-22 and the Northrop Grumman YF-23 (both detailed elsewhere on this site). The former won out and the YF-22 was introduced (as the "Raptor") into service with the USAF in December of 2005 - becoming the world's first 5th Generation Fighter platform.

Even while the F-22 was in development, a heavily-modified form of the aircraft was under consideration as the X-44 "MANTA" ("Multi-Axis, No-Tail Aircraft"). This program offshoot was essentially the base F-22 Raptor design sans its tailplanes. The type was seen as a technology demonstrator to test the validity of controlling a combat fighter without traditional tailplanes being fitted. The result, showcased only through concept artwork, was an aircraft that held the front- and mid-section of the original F-22 but carried a "stretched" delta wing mainplane. It was to retain the twin, side-by-side turbofan engine arrangement with thrust-vectoring but lacked the outward-cranked vertical tail fins as well as the horizontal tailplanes.

As it stood, the aircraft would have been controlled solely by the thrust vectoring system coupled with control surfaces found on the wing mainplanes - the hope being that the fighter would have been extremely agile, offer reduced drag and greater efficiency, and keep much (if not all) of its inherent stealth properties intact. The X-44 MANTA was always seen as a possible candidate for a future combat warplane so it would also have held on to the F-22's internal weapons bay. Due to the nature of the delta wing and its large surface area and increased internal volume, the MANTA would have carried more internal fuel and thus increased operational ranges when compared to the F-22.

The X-44 MANTA remained a proposed "experimental" over the course of its short life. Some interest in the product was had by both the USAF as well as NASA but little came of this for the project seems to have died off sometime around the year 2000. The X-44 designation resurfaced in another Lockheed product, this being the "X-44A", a deep-fuselage, tailless unmanned aircraft system used in the development of more advanced drones for the company (including the "Sentinel").

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Lockheed Martin X-44 MANTA (Multi-Axis, No-Tail Aircraft). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 0 Units

Contractor(s): Lockheed Martin - USA
National flag of the United States

[ United States (cancelled) ]
1 / 1
Image of the Lockheed Martin X-44 MANTA (Multi-Axis, No-Tail Aircraft)
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The Lockheed Martin X-44 MANTA (Multi-Axis, No-Tail Aircraft) Tailless Combat Fighter Technology Demonstrator Proposal appears in the following collections:
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