Partnerships are a cornerstone of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s mission to deliver cutting-edge science and engineering solutions for the nation. One such partnership between ERDC’s Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is delivering the high-performance computing power and expertise to accelerate the next generation of aerospace technology.
Recently, ITL’s Dr. Justin Foster was selected for a detail as DARPA’s high-performance computing (HPC) director. The move highlights an ever-increasing need for supercomputing resources in the world of research and development, a principle backed by the success of recent programs like Liberty Lifter and Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE).
“The ERDC/DARPA partnership is critical, because it provides DARPA with access to resources and expertise that far exceed what they maintain internally,” said Foster. “This access enables DARPA programs to operate at the speed, scale and technical depth required to meet ambitious objectives. In return, ERDC gains direct engagement with a premier defense research agency, which is vital to our success as well.”
The Liberty Lifter program aims to design, manufacture and field a robust, low-cost seaplane capable of transporting large payloads at speeds far greater than traditional sealift platforms. The aircraft is designed to operate without reliance on prepared airfields or port infrastructure, leveraging ground-effect performance while sustaining flight up to 10,000 feet. The program also emphasizes affordable, easily fabricated designs and addresses the aero-hydro dynamics required for takeoff and landing on water. ERDC played a critical role by providing large-scale HPC resources totaling approximately 750 million CPU hour, along with sustained technical support and subject matter expertise.
“ERDC engineers were also leveraged to form an independent verification and validation team in direct support of the Liberty Lifter Program Management Office,” said Foster. “As a result, ERDC’s involvement delivered significant risk reduction and timeline acceleration, while also informing key programmatic decisions. The analyses and results produced by ERDC directly supported and drove several critical decisions essential to the program’s success.”
CRANE seeks to replace traditional aerodynamic control surfaces with embedded actuators through the use of Active Flow Control (AFC), resulting in improvements in drag reduction, stealth and airframe design flexibility. ITL provided expertise in integrating AFC algorithms into computational fluid dynamics solvers and helped CRANE performers efficiently use more than 400 million core-hours of ERDC supercomputing resources. ERDC’s role in this program resulted in substantial risk reduction to the overall effort by allowing for real-time design iteration.
“In 2024, Aurora Flight Sciences was selected to construct the X-65 demonstrator aircraft, a milestone achieved substantially faster than traditional development timelines,” said Foster. “This was accomplished through the provision of large-scale HPC resources, dedicated technical support and deep subject matter expertise. These contributions enabled accelerated design space exploration, significantly shifting program timelines to the left and resulting in millions of dollars in cost savings. Collectively, ERDC’s support increased confidence in design decisions while reducing technical and schedule risk to the program.”
Looking ahead, ITL plans to continue supporting DARPA, as high-performance computing becomes increasingly central to defense research and development. Through continued collaboration on high-impact programs, ERDC is helping shape future capabilities and delivering meaningful outcomes for the warfighter, ultimately strengthening the mission of both organizations.