And Then There Was One: Aurora Flight Sciences Continues on Ground-Effect Aircraft Development

General Atomics' run at developing the Liberty Lifter ground effect aircraft has been put to rest, with their competitor, Aurora Flight Sciences, retaining theirs for the time being.

The Liberty Lifter is one funky duck, as far as prospective military projects go. Looking forward to a contentious Pacific theater, DoD planners see a dire need for seaborne transport, beyond the old school's island-hopping and airstrip-chopping. The Liberty Lifter will be, if it all goes well, a gargantuan seaplane designed to fly within the cozy cushion of ground effect and debark its cargo without needing specialized dock facilities. In concept, it should be somewhat similar in scale to a C-17 Globemaster, by some renditions, but much work remains to be done.

General Atomics has been dropped from the competition, leaving Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing subsidiary, to continue onward. General Atomics had offered something a little weirder than the more traditional competition, designing a Lifter sporting a mid-wing, twin-hull arrangement with banks of overwing motors and props. Its design would have been able to carry more than 170,000 pounds of cargo, right up to full-size, full-weight M1 Abrams and some troops. Ultimately, General Atomics' work was judged insufficient, according to DARPA brass.

"When we reached the point where we realized only one performer was meeting our aggressive schedule and technical goals, we streamlined the program to continue to deliver innovation," the group said to journos. General Atomics Spokesperson C. Mark Brinkley weighed in too, saying that his company took a good swing at things.

"I think we all recognize the Liberty Lifter concept represents a real technological shift for future combat operations, and we made a strong proposal informed by a lot of experience and expertise," Brinkley said. "You always want to win and keep working on these things, but more than that we just want to see the program thrive and deliver a unique capability for the warfighter and the nation."

FMI: www.darpa.mil