Gen. James Amos, the commandant of the Marine Corps, said he is committed to ensuring that the service’s unmanned helicopter program for delivering cargo becomes a program of record.
The Marine Corps has operated two Lockheed Martin [LMT] K-MAX helicopters in Afghanistan for the past 18 months under the Cargo UAS program. The two systems have won high marks for their ability to ferry cargo to remote areas of the country while reducing the risk associated with ground convoys vulnerable to roadside bombs or ambushes.
But with the drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and a constrained budget environment, there have been questions about the future of the program developed under an urgent need. It has not yet become a formalized acquisition program known as a “program of record” that typically identifies, among other things, the number of planned purchases.
Based on the Marines’ experience with the K-MAXs and their performance in Afghanistan, Amos said they provide a vital mission and that as long as he is commandant the concept will remain “alive.”
“My intention is to make it a program of record,” Amos told a group of reporters at a Defense Writers Group breakfast. As the program moves forward the requirements under a program of record will be established, he said.
“Whether it’s the K-MAX or not is yet to be seen,” he said. “But the concept of an unmanned aerial system that carries cargo around has proven itself.”
Lockheed Martin teamed with Kaman Aerospace [KAMN] to develop the autonomously flying aircraft. Amos said a program of record’s requirements would include vertical take-off, range, payload, in-flight re-directing and transitioning control.
Earlier in June one of the K-MAXs reportedly crashed while landing and is currently out of service. The cause is under investigation.
Navy Capt. Patrick Smith, the program manager at Navy and Marine Corps multi-mission tactical unmanned aircraft at Naval Air Systems Command, told reporters in May that once returning from Afghanistan the K-MAXs will undergo additional testing and demonstrations.
“There’s definitely been lessons learned going forward from the 18 months we’ve been there,” he said.
Since arriving in Afghanistan, the K-MAXs have delivered more than 3 million pounds of cargo, and in one instance they moved 30,000 pounds of supplies in six flights in a 24-hour period. The K-MAX’s have ferried everything from ammunition to generators to basic goods like water, food and even mail.
Another system that could compete under a future program of record is Boeing’s [BA] A-160T Hummingbird, which was a candidate under urgent need phase of Cargo UAS but was eliminated after encountering technical problems. Northrop Grumman [NOC] has also hinted at adapting its larger version of the Fire Scout under development by the Navy for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance missions, and known as the MQ-8C, for the cargo mission.
An unmanned helicopter cargo platform has also drawn interest from the Army.