The Liberty Lifter project was intended to develop an ekranoplan for the US military. But after three years, DARPA announced last week that the project had been canceled after more than $90 million was spent on the initial design process and two companies were hired to build the initial concept.
No reason was given for the cancellation, with DARPA saying that data collected through simulation tests and construction materials proved that an ekranoplan for military use could be developed. DARPA's requirements were that the Liberty Lifter would have to carry around 100 tons of cargo, travel up to 12,000 km and be about the same size as a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. The initial prototype aircraft was due to be launched by 2028.
It is likely that this is closely related to the Trump administration's overhaul of military spending approved by the previous administration. Trump wants to build a gold dome to repel enemy missile attacks and increase spending on drones after seeing its success in Ukraine.
The announcement comes weeks after the leak of a secret Chinese ekranoplan project nicknamed the Bohai Sea Monster. The Liberty Lifter project did not reach the prototype stage, but China has already built the first prototype, which is different from the ekranoplans built during the Soviet Union era.