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| DARPA unveils design for a heavy-lift seaplane: Liberty Lifter |
International Military - The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched the Liberty Lifter project. The project is aimed at demonstrating a leap in operational logistics capabilities by designing, building and flying the long-range X aircraft.
Not only that, this is also included at a low cost and capable of carrying out strategic and tactical lifts across the sea. "This first phase of the Liberty Lifter program will define the seaplane's unique range, payload and other parameters," said Alexander Walan, program manager in DARPA's Office of Tactical Technology.
"This innovative advancement envisaged by the new DARPA program will feature the X-plane demonstrator, offering combatants new capabilities during extended maritime operations," he continued.
To address the shortcomings of existing vehicles and operational concepts, the Liberty Lifter program focuses on addressing three main challenges.
1. Extended maritime operations
The project will address the risk of vehicle collisions during high-speed operations in crowded environments. Ultimately, the goal is for the vehicle to be operational at sea for weeks without any land-based maintenance activities.
2. Full-Scale Affordable Production
Construction will prioritize low-cost, easy-to-make designs over beautiful, low-weight concepts. Materials must be more affordable than traditional aircraft manufacturing and available to purchase in bulk.
3. Complex Flight and Sea Level Control
Advanced sensors and control schemes will be developed to avoid large waves and to handle aero/hydrodynamic interactions during takeoff/landing.
Quoted from Aviaci Online, the Liberty Lifter program aims to design, build, float and fly affordable and innovative seaplanes. The Liberty Lifter will operate efficiently in ground effect (less than 100 feet above the surface, or 30 meters).
It is also capable of maintaining a flight altitude of up to 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) above mean sea level (MSL). It ultimately enables the efficient transportation of large cargoes at speeds far exceeding existing marine platforms. An aircraft like the Liberty Lifter would allow for fast and efficient long-distance transportation of large payloads.
This ability proved essential in mobilizing troops across the ocean. Another theater of operations where seaplanes like the one being developed by DARPA would be very useful is the Arctic. This means that operations can be carried out in inhospitable areas with a lack of logistics infrastructure.