If the United States and China go to war, getting U.S. troops and equipment into theater quickly could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Ships are slow and planes typically need runways to land, which are in short supply on remote islands.
Simply put, the military needs a new way to transport. Enter the Liberty Lifter.
This week, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) greenlit two teams to design a new military seaplane. DARPA said the craft will be a large flying boat, similar in size and capacity to the C-17 Globemaster III.
DARPA wants the lifter to take off and land on mild seas, operate on the surface in waves up to six feet, fly for extended periods close to water in what’s called “ground effect,” and also have the ability to reach an altitude of 10,000 feet.
General Atomics is working with Maritime Applied Physics Corporation. They’re proposing a twin-hull, mid-wing design to optimize on-water stability.
The other team consists of Aurora Flight Sciences working with Gibbs & Cox and ReconCraft. Their concept looks more like a traditional flying boat with a single hull and high wings.
The Liberty Lifter program is still in the design phase. It’ll be another 18 months or so before DARPA decides which concept is best.
The Liberty Lifter program is the latest move by the U.S. to prepare for a potential war with China and its allies. The U.S. strategy to counter China includes creating an almost NATO-like alliance in the Pacific.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with leaders from South Korea and the Philippines this week to strengthen and expand military alliances. Austin said the U.S. would send more fighter jets and bombers to South Korea, and the Philippines just gave the U.S. access to four more military bases.
Japan, another major U.S. ally in the region, is also increasing defense spending and military cooperation with the U.S. to counter Chinese aggression.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
