Kaman's K-MAX heavy lift helicopter has participated in two US Navy and Marine Corps exercises to test the potential of using unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) to
deliver critical supplies to troops on the ground.
Using the global poitioning systems, the K-MAX was able to simulate flight as a UAV and accurately locate the pre-assigned drop areas. The loads involved varied
from 160kg (300lb) to 3,200kg and included a 2,400kg HMMWV truck.
The Limited Technical Assessment was part of the BURRO (Broad Area Unmanned Responsive Resupply Operations) concept which eventually could see UAVs
replace conventional manned aircraft as a supply route for ground forces.
It was carried out in Hawaii, under the guidance of the US Marine Corps' Warfighting Laboratory, over a four-day period and involved lifting operations from
specially configured ships positioned up to 27km (15NM) offshore.
Don Shutt, helicopter/special programmes manager for Kaman, says: "K-MAX performed very well in the BURRO exercise, completing all of its flights on time and
delivering all loads precisely to the pre-determined landing zones."
Source: Flight Daily News
