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News: DARPA Unveils Liberty Lifter Design

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  1. Liberty Lifter Design Unveiled By DARPA
    More has been revealed about the The Liberty Lifter design that DARPA has in the works. "This first phase of the Liberty Lifter program will define the unique seaplane’s range, payloads, and other parameters," said Alexander Walan, a program manager in DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office. "Innovative advances envisioned by this new DARPA program will showcase an X-plane demonstrator that offers warfighters new capabilities during extended maritime operations."
  2. To address the shortcomings of existing vehicles and operational concepts, the Liberty Lifter program focuses on addressing three main challenges. Extended Maritime Operations: Emphasis will be placed on operating in turbulent sea states by creating high-lift abilities at low speeds to reduce wave impact load during takeoff/landing, and innovative design solutions to absorb wave forces. In addition, the project will address risks of vehicle collision during high-speed operation in congested environments. Finally, the aim is for the vehicle to operate at sea for weeks at a time without land-based maintenance activities.
  3. Full-Scale Affordable Production: Construction will prioritize low-cost, easy-to-fabricate designs over exquisite, low-weight concepts. Materials should be more affordable than those in traditional aircraft manufacturing and available to be purchased in large quantities. Complex Flight and Sea Surface Controls: Advanced sensors and control schemes will be developed to avoid large waves and to handle aero/hydro-dynamic interactions during takeoff/landing.

    For more information:

    Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
    675 North Randolph Street
    Arlington, VA 22203-2114
    www.darpa.mil

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