[Talisker]

It did fly, with Howard Hughes flying it, and the government had to pay for it!

LOL, it fit the legal definition of "flight," thus fulfilling the contract and enabling reimbursement for its creation.

That's a whole different thing from actually "flying," as in more than a few feet up, more than once!

[Smokin' Joe]

Nowadays, the government would have ordered 100, cut the order to 20, and spread the development costs over the ones which were actually built. At least then the government had enough sense to stop building things which were not useful.

But fast forward four decades, and armor was being designed to fit in transport aircraft.

Maybe it is just that Hughes was ahead of his time.