For crying out look at the thing, it is a toad!
One of the Ruskie's first jets looked like this.
Remember the Late Roy Lopresti's axiom, if it looks good it will probably fly good.
Experimental aircraft can be pretty ugly and still be used to solve problems that no one considered before. Unlike a bridge to an eskimo village that no one will ever use.
Read post 14 and the link I provided. This story is full of shit. Period.