The Marine Corps deployment of the K-MAX unmanned helicopter for carrying cargo in Afghanistan will be extended by a few months through the end of the fiscal year, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) said recently.
The two Lockheed Martin [LMT] K-MAX systems were developed under an urgent requirement issued by the Navy and sent to Afghanistan in November. They began operations the following month and were planned for a six-month deployment that would have ended in June.
Now the two systems will stay until the end of September, NAVAIR spokeswoman Jamie Cosgrove said.
The unmanned aircraft are intended to curtail the risk with carrying supplies to remote areas of the country in ground convoys or on manned helicopters.
Maj. Gen John Toolan, the commander of the 2nd Marine Division and former commander of forces on southwest Afghanistan, told reporters that manned helicopters are susceptible to being shot down and K-MAX has proven to be a good alternative.
“Shoot at this thing all you want,” he told a Defense Writers Group breakfast.
He said the helicopters are being used every day and that some Afghan soldiers are being trained to operate them.