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Unmanned helo supplies Marines in Afghanistan

  • By Defense Systems Staff
  • Feb 06, 2012
The Marine Corps is using the K-MAX remotely piloted helicopter to deliver supplies to Marines in the field in Afghanistan, Paul McLeary writes in a Aviation Week's Ares blog. 

By the end of January, the K-MAX had delivered more than 100,000 lbs. of cargo on more than 50 unmanned resupply missions, according to numbers provided by Lockheed Martin, which produces the K-MAX along with Kaman Aerospace, the blog said.

During pre-deployment testing, the K-MAX was able to exceed the Navy and Marine Corps’ requirement to deliver 6,000 lbs. of cargo per day over a five-day period, lugging a total of 33,400 lbs. of cargo and topping out at about 3,500 lbs. delivered in one mission, the Marines have said, adding that they’ll continue to collect data on the K-MAX’s performance over the next six months, the blog added.

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