FutureWarTHINK 003: Round-Wing STOL Grasshoppers: Where Are They?

A chief deciding factor in whether you can land your STOL grasshopper plane is there enough clearance for your wing span?

Folding wings help once you are able to land with ground mobility--but you 1st have to get to the ground safely. 

Reducing wingspans to under 20 feet was a key capability of K.P. Rice's LARA concept that was botched by DoD into the runway/airbase dependent OV-10 Bronco with extended wings. 

http://www.combatreform.org/killerbees2.htm

Ironically, BEFORE WW2 we had aircraft designers who understood this and created circle-wing aka flying wing grasshoppers with reduced width aka wingspans--that flew.

Odd Ducks: Unusual Aircraft from the Movietone Collection, 1921-1934

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qlh_a307DY

18:03 Nemeth Flying Parasol
23: 13 Hoffman Flying Wing

WHY didn't we use these in WW2 and all the way to today?

Look too much like flying saucer Anti-Gravity Craft (AGC)?

Too damn bad. 

Military aviation needs improved STOL grasshoppers--tilting circular wings for VTOL would eliminate TO/L roll terrain demands.

Airborne!