DARPA's Liberty Lifter Seaplace Project Will Use Two Distinct Designs

According to a news release on February 1, the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA) recently chose two teams to develop concepts for its Liberty Lifter Seaplane Wing-in-Ground Effect full-scale demonstrator. General Atomics, in partnership with Maritime Applied Physics Corporation, and Aurora Flight Sciences, in association with ReconCraft and Gibbs & Cox, are the two teams. Designing, producing, floating, and flying a long-range, inexpensive X-Plane capable of a seaborne tactical and strategic heavy lift is the aim of the Liberty Lifter program. The Liberty Lifter demonstration will be a sizable flying boat with the same dimensions and payload as the C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Image credit- Aviacion Online[/caption] The goals include taking off and landing in a sea state of 4, remaining on the water until a sea state of 5, and continuing to fly in ground effect near the ocean for an extended period of time. Also read: Intel Joins DARPA’s Space-BACN Program to Speed Up Inter-Satellite Com. One of the goals is to be able to fly without ground effect up to 10,000 feet above sea level. DARPA Liberty Lifter Program manager Christopher Kent said in a statement, "We are delighted to start this program and looking forward to working closely with both performer teams as they mature their point-of-departure design concepts through Phase 1." [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="772"] Image credit- FLYING Magazine[/caption] We will be able to explore a sizable portion of the design space during Phase 1 because of the two teams' distinctly diverse design methods. The twin-hull, mid-wing design was chosen by the General Atomics team to increase seakeeping and on-water stability. For scattered propulsion, twelve turboshaft engines are employed. The point-of-departure design from Aurora Flight Sciences, on the other hand, has a single hull, a high wing, and eight turboprops for primary power, resembling a conventional flying boat.