Our research indicates it is totally inferior to a tank built out of the same type of unobtanium metal, or to a jet made of unobtanium, depending on which roll you are trying to fill with it.

No, it's the *Naval* research institute. They found that for a land/air/space superiority role this was a far better design than any of their ships.

So we'll deploy it and let it get destroyed by the enemy's superior jets and tanks?