LPL Defense


Our current ongoing design is a family of military UAV and optionally manned aircraft that are scalable, modular, using the same electronics and software.  The aircraft are Wing in Ground Effect (WIG) similar to DARPA X-Plane Liberty Lifter (see video on our home page.)  Sizes of initial two aircraft are 2.4 meters and 50 meters wingspan.  The 2.4 meter UAV can fit two 48 inch pallets.  The 50 meter optionally manned aircraft  exceeds the cargo capacity of the C-130J and can fit one standard 40 foot shipping container.  Configuration of our two initial aircraft are not yet disclosed but are different from the two configuration shown for DARPA Liberty Lifter.  Based on published data of DARPA Liberty Lifter, we expect our design  to have lower cost and higher throughput for same size factories because of our novel manufacturing machinery.


Just as the C-130 has many applications so can our 50 meter wingspan aircraft, e.g., AC-130 gunship; HC-130 Search and Rescue; KC-130 Tanker.  A new application under development is DARPA Gremlin Swarm to launch and retrieve daughter UAV effectively turning the C-130 into an aircraft carrier, while in the air or while on the surface of the sea or lake.  Other applications are under development.


Initial prototypes and early production will use off-the-shelf subsystems as much as possible for rapid time to first flight and certification. However, we expect to replace some of the off-the-shelf subsystems with our own developed subsystems, including:


Future planned products include modular scalable AWD optionally manned ground vehicles with aluminum backbone and structural foam monocoque.  Military applications to include: