Autonomous flight programs advanced by Kaman
NewsJanuary 29, 2020
BLOOMFIELD, Conn. Kaman Air Vehicles, a division of Kaman Corporation, announced the advancement of its military and commercial K-MAX Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) programs to support U.S. Marine Corps future operating concepts.
According to the company, these logistics systems add flexibility and speed of distribution to all sizes of ground formations.
The first unmanned K-MAX served in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom from 2011 to 2013. The two Marine Corps K-MAX air vehicles are being upgraded through a contract with the U.S. Navy and will include enhanced autonomous capabilities including a new unmanned system, ground control station, and sensor-based autonomy.
In parallel with the military K-MAX project, Kaman is developing a new K-MAX UAS kit for commercial applications with first flight scheduled in Q3 2020. The new unmanned kit will be installed on existing aircraft as well as on new production K-MAX helicopters.
