PAUL LEWIS / WASHINGTON DC
Kaman Aerospace's recently launched initiative to allow operators to lease-purchase K-MAX helicopters is paying off, as the company tries to sustain production of the external-lift machine. The manufacturer also reports renewed military interest in the K-MAX for unmanned air vehicle (UAV) trials.
Bloomfield-based Kaman has five aircraft in final stages of assembly and plans to build additional helicopters only against firm commitments. No new K-MAX helicopters were delivered last year and marketing executive Steve Daniels has left to head Enstrom Helicopter.
Kaman president Joe Lubenstein says the company has sold two machines and leased another three in recent months. This includes the sale of a third previously leased helicopter to Superior Helicopter of Grand Pass, Oregon, which has also leased a fourth machine. Grizzly Mountain of Oregon has acquired another used K-MAX for logging and fire fighting.
Two of Superior's helicopters have been engaged in fighting bush fires in Australia using underslung water buckets, while a third is operating in Taiwan. Kaman aims to demonstrate the machine's urban firefighting capabilities with twin IFEX 3000 water cannon and hopes to revive K-MAX UAV demonstration efforts, with one unidentified contender for the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/US Army Unmanned Combat Armed Rotorcraft programme looking to use the vehicle. There is also army interest in battlefield resupply experimentation work.
Source: Flight International
