Bloomfield aerosystems maker Kaman Corp. says it’s developing the next generation K-MAX lift helicopter that could be used for both manned and unmanned flights.
Kaman Aerospace Group on Tuesday announced the latest unmanned system kits will be available in 2020 for new production and existing aircraft.
Under the latest K-MAX model, operators would be able to decide whether to use the helicopter for manned or unmanned missions, according to AIN Online.
The U.S. Marine Corps has been using Kaman’s unmanned medium-to-heavy lift helicopters in Afghanistan for the last 33 months on combat resupply and logistical support missions, helping soldiers move more than 1.5 million pounds of cargo to remote outposts, Kaman said.
These overnight, unmanned missions replace the need for 900 convoy vehicles and an estimated 46,000 hours of exposure time to improvised explosive devices (IEDs), direct fire and other threats to U.S. troops.
“Whether the need is night-time aerial firefighting, resupplying troops in austere environments or delivering critical supplies in support of humanitarian missions, the next generation of the unmanned K-MAX will continue to demonstrate its unmatched readiness and efficiency no matter the requirement,” said Roger Wassmuth, senior director of business development at Kaman Aerospace Group.
Kaman says it’s also exploring other opportunities to develop co-use versions of autonomous aerial technologies for both commercial and military applications.
As previously reported, Kaman has scored a number of K-MAX orders in recent months, marking significant progress since rebooting production of the helicopter in 2015.
The K-MAX series was created by Kaman founder and former CEO Charles H. Kaman in 1994.
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