A team including Aurora Flight Sciences will develop a more traditional single-hull version of the Liberty Lifter. [Courtesy: DARPA]
Key Takeaways:
DARPA has selected two teams, General Atomics and Aurora Flight Sciences, to develop competing designs for the Liberty Lifter, a large transport seaplane.
The Liberty Lifter aims to efficiently transport troops and heavy equipment long distances over water, primarily utilizing wing-in-ground effect, with cargo capacity comparable to a C-17.
The two design approaches are distinctly different: General Atomics is developing a twin-hull, mid-wing aircraft, while Aurora Flight Sciences is pursuing a single-hull, high-wing flying boat concept.
The program is currently in an 18-month Phase 1 for design development, with plans to have a demonstrator aircraft flying within approximately five years.
Development of the Liberty Lifter just got more interesting.
The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) named two teams that will work on different designs for a large transport seaplane to carry troops and heavy equipment for long distances over water using wing-in-ground effect aerodynamics to boost efficiency.
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Jonathan Welsh is Lead Editor of Aviation Consumer and a private pilot who worked as a reporter, editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal for 21 years, mostly covering the auto industry. His passion for aviation began in childhood with balsa-wood gliders his aunt would buy for him at the corner store. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanWelsh4
