Aurora Flight Sciences to Design Liberty Lifter Seaplane

DARPA selects Aurora Flight Sciences to design an amphibious heavy cargo plane, edging out the General Atomics proposal. Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing subsidiary located in Manassas, Virginia, has received a contract worth US $ 8.3 million to continue the design of an experimental amphibious heavy cargo aircraft called the Liberty Lifter for the US military. This follows DARPA's decision to stop consideration of a proposal submitted by General Atomics for the program. In February 2023, Aurora and General Atomics were selected by DARPA for the Liberty Lifter Seaplane Wing-in-Ground Effect program, designed to be as large and capable as the C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft. However, the program has been scaled down to a C-130 Hercules, although future plans may see it scale back to the size of a C-17, depending on the success of initial demonstrations. The Liberty Lifter is designed to operate efficiently even in difficult maritime conditions, capable of taking off and landing in Sea State 4, covering waves up to approximately 2.5 m, and maintaining operations in even more difficult conditions. General Atomics has proposed a unique double-hull design intended to improve water stability, featuring a mechanism to deliver cargo directly to shore. However, Aurora Flight Sciences' approach is simpler, which follows a traditional seaplane design, with floats at the wingtips and a rear cargo door under its twin tail fins. The DARPA Liberty Lifter program is an innovative project designed to develop a ground effect aircraft (WIG) for strategic and tactical heavy lift transportation over long distances. This program aims to create a cost-effective amphibious aircraft that operates efficiently at a height less than 30 m above the water surface by utilizing ground effects while reaching heights up to 3,000 m above sea level.