Kaman is actively promoting its K-Max heavylift helicopter in the Asia-Pacific.
The sales effort comes as the company contemplates a possible break in production. Fogarty says that a decision will be made in early May about whether to produce a second batch of K-Max heliopters at its recently revived assembly line.
The company's first batch of 10 units were sold to a Chinese dealer.
He says the helicopter is ideal for mountainous terrain common in many parts of the region, and well suited to sectors such as power generation, where long series of electricity towers need to be placed in isolated, rugged areas.
Powered by a single Honeywell T53-17 engine, the single-seat K-Max can lift external loads of up to 6,000lbs.
The K-Max is unusual in that it uses twin contra-rotating propellers. Kaman says this arrangement makes K-Max very effective at hovering. The lack of a tail rotor also allows all power to be dedicated to lift.
Fogarty adds that the aircraft is also good in both ‘hot-and-high' conditions. At an altitude of 15,000ft, it is still capable of lifitng 4,000lb loads – two thirds the maximum load at sea level.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
