After more than a decade, Bloomfield aerospace manufacturer Kaman Corp. says it’s restarting commercial production of its K-Max heavy-lift helicopters.
Production and hiring related to the K-Max, which can lift more than 6,000 pounds, has already begun in Bloomfield and Florida, Kaman said Friday.
Kaman said it’s scheduled to deliver the first of 10 K-Max helicopters in 2017.
Those aircraft will provide revenue between $75 million and $85 million, the company said. However, its 2015 outlook remains unchanged.
Kaman is also developing an unmanned version of the K-Max.
“This is great news for Kaman and for operators who need the K-MAX to perform their missions effectively,” Kaman President and CEO Neal J. Keating said in a statement. “Our team has done a great job assessing the market and working with customers to secure enough orders to support the business case for reopening the line.”
Customers for the relaunch include Switzerland’s Rotex Helicopter AG and Georgia-based Helicopter Express, Kaman said.
Keating told the Hartford Courant that many of the K-Max positions will be transfers from other Kaman programs.
A Kaman spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Hartford Business Journal.
Kaman built less than 40 of the helicopters between 1994 and 2003, which have mainly been used for firefighting and logging, before stopping the program in 2003 due to market difficulties — including competition for military business from surplus aircraft.
The decision led to the closure of Kaman’s Plainfield facility and the loss of 400 jobs that year.
CFO gets ‘EVP’ title
In a separate announcement Thursday evening, Kaman said it has made Chief Financial Officer Robert D. Starr an executive vice president.
Starr, who joined the company in 2009, will continue to serve as CFO. The new title replaces his previous senior vice president title.
A certified public accountant, Starr previously worked for Stamford’s Crane Co. and Hartford health insurer Aetna.
