K-MAX In The Fight

Operators from Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 (VMU-1) carried out the first operational mission of a K-MAX unmanned cargo helicopter on 17 December 2011. During the ninety-minute flight, the dual-rotor helicopter was used to deliver approximately 3,500 pounds of food and supplies to troops at a forward operating base in Afghanistan without risk to a pilot. VMU-1 is based at MCAS Miramar, California, near San Diego. The unmanned K-MAX is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Kaman Aerospace. The flight, part of a Marine Corps in-service evaluation, came on the 108th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first flight.