Video – Unmanned Kaman K-MAX Cargo Flight

The Lockheed Martin/Kaman unmanned K-MAX successfully completed a five-day Quick Reaction Assessment (QRA) for the U.S. Navy’s Cargo Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) program.
The U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin in December 2010 for unmanned K-MAX helicopters to perform in a U.S. Marine Corps evaluation of unmanned cargo resupply. The Navy intends to field a Cargo UAS this fall for a six-month deployment to augment Marine Corps ground and air logistics operations in Afghanistan.

The autonomous flying K-MAX is designed to resupply Marines on the battlefield and in remote locations. Kaman designed the K-MAX platform, and Lockheed Martin has designed the helicopter’s mission management and control systems to provide the K-MAX with exceptional flight autonomy in remote environments and over long distances. “Since partnering in 2007, Lockheed Martin and Kaman Aerospace have successfully transformed Kaman’s proven K-MAX power-lift manned helicopter into a UAS capable of autonomous or remote controlled cargo delivery,” said Terry Fogarty, general manager, UAS Product Group at Kaman Aerospace.

Kaman Helicopters was founded in 1945 by aviation pioneer Charles H. Kaman.

Video by Lockheed Martin