DARPA selects teams for Liberty Lifter program

General Atomics will work with Maritime Applied Physics Corporation and Aurora Flight Sciences is partnering with Gibbs & Cox and ReconCraft in advancing designs for the Liberty Lifter program, which is developing a long-range, low-cost X-Plane capable of seaborne strategic and tactical heavy lift.

According to DARPA, the planned Liberty Lifter demonstrator will be a large flying boat similar in size and capacity to the C-17 Globemaster III. Program goals include take-off and landing in sea state four, sustained on-water operation up to sea state five, and extended flight close to the water in ground effect with the capability to fly out of ground effect at altitudes up to 10,000 feet above sea level.

“We are excited to kick off this program and looking forward to working closely with both performer teams as they mature their point-of-departure design concepts through Phase 1,” said DARPA Liberty Lifter program manager Christopher Kent. “The two teams have taken distinctly different design approaches that will enable us to explore a relatively large design space during Phase 1.”

The General Atomics team has selected a twin-hull, mid-wing design to optimise on-water stability and seakeeping. It employs distributed propulsion using twelve turboshaft engines. Aurora Flight Sciences point-of-departure design more closely resembles a traditional flying boat, with a single hull, high wing and eight turboprops for primary propulsion.

During Phase 1, DARPA will work with both teams and US Department of Defense stakeholders to refine the Liberty Lifter designs, paying particular attention to operational needs and operating concepts. The Phase 1 contract awards are for an 18-month period of performance with six months of conceptual design work and nine months of design maturation that will culminate in a preliminary design review. An additional three months will allow for manufacturing planning and test/demonstration planning reviews.

Phase 1 will transition into Phase 2 in mid-2024 with continued detailed design, manufacturing, and demonstration of a full-scale Liberty Lifter X-Plane.