High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The X-44 MANTA (Multi-Axis No-Tail Aircraft) was a conceptual Lockheed Martin aircraft design that has been studied by NASA and the U.S. Air Force. It was intended to test the feasibility of full yaw, pitch and roll control without tailplanes (horizontal or vertical). Attitude manipulation relies purely on 3D thrust vectoring. The aircraft itself was an F-22 Raptor-derived design featuring a stretched version of the delta wing and deleted tail surfaces.