Aurora Flight Sciences has renewed the design of its screenshot. It will be able to carry 100 tons of cargo up to 12,000 kilometers and take off and land on water without fear of waves 1 to 1.5 meters high.

Last year, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) selected Aurora Flight Sciences to participate in the development and creation of the long-range demonstration aircraft Liberty Lifter X-plane. A year later, Aurora Flight Sciences reported how the study was progressing.

In Phase 1B of preliminary design, special attention is paid to reducing risks in the design, construction, launch and flight phases of the finished X-plane by using low-cost manufacturing methods.

Aurora Flight Sciences engineers are manufacturing full-scale components, including part of the fuselage, using new materials and testing them before assembly. Phase 1B is scheduled to be completed in January 2025, and the first flight of the Liberty Lifter is expected to occur in 2028.