The Allied Aviation XLRA (also designated as the XLRA-1) was a specialized experimental aircraft developed during World War II to serve as a water-landing assault glider. The project was initiated in April 1941 by Captain (later Admiral) Marc A. Mitscher of the U.S. Navy, who sought a method for delivering infantry squads to enemy beaches via sea-borne landings. Unlike the conventional land-based gliders utilized by the U.S. Army, the XLRA was designed as a flying boat with a hull capable of alighting on water, allowing it to be towed to a combat zone, released, and then landed on the sea to unload troops and equipment.
The baseline design concept originated from the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer), while the detailed design, construction, and local modifications were carried out by the Allied Aviation Corporation, with contributions from Bristol. The aircraft was manufactured in Cockeysville, Maryland, where Allied Aviation had been established in January 1941 to produce laminated plywood aircraft components. The XLRA first flew in 1943, though the exact calendar date of the flight is not documented.
As a pure glider, the XLRA possessed no engine or powerplant of its own, relying entirely on a tow aircraft for transit. While the U.S. Navy originally ordered a production run of 100 aircraft under the designation LRA-1 (assigned Bureau Numbers 31403–31502), this order was canceled before completion. Consequently, production was limited to only two experimental airframes used for testing and evaluation. There is no evidence that the aircraft ever entered operational combat service or saw use beyond these initial tests.
Following the war, Allied Aviation pivoted away from aerospace, eventually transitioning into the manufacture of sailboats. The company's aviation legacy also included the acquisition of the Trimcraft amphibian, which became the Allied Trimmer and later the Commonwealth C-170. Today, the XLRA remains a historical footnote, representing an unconventional approach to amphibious assault. No surviving examples of the XLRA are known to exist in museums or private collections.