Initial $8 Million for Development
A seaplane that can operate efficiently less than 100ft above the ground, hold altitudes of 10,000ft and transport huge payloads at speed, shifting the paradigm of strategic lift to a ‘cost per tone’ rather than a ‘cost per pound’ metric – that is the vision behind DARPA’s Liberty Lifter programme.
The agency has awarded an $8 million, six-month contract to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) for development of just such an aircraft. “GA-ASI is committed to the advancement of a cargo seaplane design capable of delivering heavy cargo and utilizing wing-in-ground effect to revolutionize transport to support tomorrow’s warfighter,” stated GA-ASI President, David R Alexander. “Our experience in maritime aircraft such as the MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian will help advance the capabilities of the Liberty Lifter concept and expand our cargo aircraft portfolio”.
GA-ASI is partnered with Maritime Applied Physics Corporation (MAPC) on this project, to provide DARPA with superior air and sea-based craft design experience. The award covers the next six months as the base effort, and if the option is exercised, GA-ASI will spend the following 12 months maturing and completing the design and preparing for manufacturing, with the award potentially growing to a total of $29 million.
