The Army has widened its interest in the K-MAX unmanned cargo helicopter that has already been deployed to Afghanistan to support Marine Corps operations, a senior Lockheed Martin [LMT] official said yesterday.
Lockheed Martin has partnered with Kaman Aerospace [KAMN] to provide two of the autonomous systems under an urgent requirement identified by the Marine Corps.
But the Army has also shown interest in the autonomous flying helicopter used by the Marines to transport supplies to remote locations in Afghanistan, said George Barton, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for ship and aviation systems.
K-MAX can be pre-programmed to fly autonomously to a predetermed location or can be rerouted during flight. The Army is looking to add to that capability through a portable beacon that would allow the helicopter to find a landing zone on the ground to deliver cargo, Barton told reporters on the sidelines of the Surface Navy Association gathering in Arlington, Va.
The K-MAX systems deployed to Afghanistan in November so they could be demonstrated in real operations. It has already begun flying supplies to the Marines. Barton said that as more results come in from the Afghan deployment he expects the K-MAX program to “take off.”
The Navy awarded dueling development contracts to Lockheed Martin and Boeing [BA] in December 2010 to create an unmanned airlift capability in response to the Marine Corps’ urgent requirement. The unmanned, autonomous flying helicopters are intended to reduce risks, such as ambushes or improvised explosive devices (IEDs), associated with ground convoys.
Boeing is competing with its AT-160 Hummingbird, which it inherited when it acquired Frontier Systems in 2004. But the AT-160 has faced technical issues, and was subject to a 60-day stop-work order by the Marine Corps in December.
Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) said the temporary halt would allow the Navy and Marine Corps to evaluate the A-160T and determine the best course of action.
“They are still working toward maturing the system,” spokeswoman Jamie Cosgrove said.