DARPA Wants Cargo Seaplane Airborne in Five Years

The first development contract for Liberty Lifter could be issued by October.

Kimberly Johnson

Thursday, June 23, 2022 at 05:22 PM ET

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An artist rendering of DARPA's Liberty Lifter. [Courtesy: DARPA]

Key Takeaways:

DARPA's "Liberty Lifter" is a new heavy-lift cargo seaplane designed for long-range, strategic and tactical operations, capable of operating from turbulent ocean waters and unloading close to beaches.
It aims to combine the speed of an aircraft with the efficiency of a ship, offering a C-17-like payload capacity, while also prioritizing affordability through low-cost manufacturing.
The design incorporates innovative features like distributed propulsion and a catamaran-like twin-hull for enhanced stability, increased cargo space, and efficient low-altitude flight.
This project seeks to revolutionize military logistics by enabling direct delivery of heavy loads and combat vehicles to remote or contested areas, with a first flight projected within five years.

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Future military heavy-lift cargo pilots might need to bring their sea legs. That’s because a project by the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) aims to develop a new cargo seaplane with a payload capacity similar to a C-17.

DARPA’s Liberty Lifter concept is a long-range X-plane capable of seaborne strategic and tactical lift operations with the ability to take off in turbulent ocean water. It will be affordable, made with low-cost, lightweight materials. If all goes as planned, the Liberty Lifter will perform its first flight in about five years.