The national interest put out a decent article highlighting
The Manta, which was a proposed F-22 alternative.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/ ... ter-161911Does anyone know the primary reason the navy turned down such a good design?
1. The added wing area would have likely allowed the plane to reach the 140 knot trap speed required to get back on board.
2. If stability in roll axis was an issue the navy could have
Simply put the vertical tails back on.
3. The added wing could hold alot of weapons and fuel.
I hope the navy revisits the concept and we can get shared avionics and maybe a joint aircraft from this design.
What was the reason the navy passed?