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 concept, aiming to combine the speed of an aircraft with the efficiency of a ship, capable of transporting C-17 equivalent payloads over long distances from turbulent ocean waters directly to beaches or ports.
Key design features include a stable twin-hull (catamaran-like) structure for increased cargo volume and distributed propulsion with 10 engines to enhance lift and protect components from sea spray.
The project prioritizes affordability through low-cost materials and manufacturing, intending to provide faster logistics than ships while avoiding traditional airport limitations, with its first flight targeted 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.