DARPA shares details on future US Navy military seaplane

DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has updated the status of the Liberty Lifter seaplane, a project currently in the hands of the startup Aurora Flight Sciences (Boeing), chosen by the US Department of Defense (DoD) to carry out the studies.

According to Naval News, the project for a military seaplane is still underway and with funding until the prototype is completed, but the forecast for the aircraft’s first flight has changed. Previously expected to occur between 2027 and 2028, the maiden flight is expected to occur in fiscal year 2029.

“Looking at the missions the DoD has now and into the foreseeable future, there are many of them that would be well suited to a seaplane. These include higher-speed littoral personnel and logistics transport and search and rescue,” said DARPA.

As for the size of the aircraft, DARPA suggested a Lockheed C-130 Hercules and not a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. “Liberty Lifter is making a strategic investment to design, build, float and fly a roughly C-130-sized X-plane utilizing technologies that make potential cost-effective production and fielding a reality.”

Made to Ffly in the Pacific Ocean

DARPA cited several advantages of using a seaplane in a potential conflict in the Pacific Ocean, where many of the islands to be defended do not have airfields, ports or infrastructure to receive troops and supplies quickly and adequately.

However, the Department of Defense agency focused on the extended range of the Liberty Lifter in relation to potential foreign alternatives, such as the Japanese ShinMaywa US-2, considered to be limited in flight range and cargo capacity, among others.

DARPA’s goal is for the Liberty Lifter to complete the feasibility demonstration of the proposal and then make it available to the DoD, which may then decide to launch a competition for series production in the future.