A team from Lockheed Martin and Kaman Aerospace conducted a recent demonstration with the unmanned K-MAX helicopter and Indago quad rotor, which successfully demonstrated ability in firefighting operations, autonomously extinguishing a fire by dumping more than 24,000 pounds of water in one hour. (Photos by JoAnn R. Walter)
During a press conference held on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at Lockheed Martin in Owego, N.Y., Dan Spoor, vice president of Aviation and Unmanned Systems at Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems shared groundbreaking news about the firefighting capability of the unmanned K-MAX helicopter and Indago quad rotor. Also attending the press conference were Kaman Aerospace Group President Greg Steiner and NUAIR Executive Director, Larry Brinker.
A press conference was held on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014 at the Lockheed Martin facility located at 1801 State Rte. 17C in Owego, N.Y. to announce the successful firefighting capability of the unmanned K-MAX helicopter and Indago quad rotor. Dan Spoor, vice president of Aviation and Unmanned Systems at Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems, joined by Kaman Aerospace Group President Greg Steiner and NUAIR Executive Director Larry Brinker, announced the exciting news.
Following a nearly three year deployment in Afghanistan where the K-MAX conducted thousands of delivery missions for the U.S. Marine Corps, the unmanned aircraft system recently underwent a series of tests for civil use. Coming out of Afghanistan, an opportunity presented itself to test the aircraft for civil applications when the Department of the Interior shared a concern about needing additional abilities to fight fires.
With combined efforts of the Department of the Interior, Kaman, NUAIR and Lockheed, the unmanned aircrafts were tested at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, N.Y. on Nov. 5, 2014, a designated FAA test site.
Dan Spoor stated, “These were groundbreaking demonstrations, and the first time an unmanned aircraft was able to support the ability to fight fires.”
During the demonstration, the Indago quad rotor identified hot spots, and sent data to an operator who directed the unmanned K-MAX helicopter to autonomously extinguish the flames. The K-MAX then lifted and dropped more than 24,000 pounds of water onto the fire in just one hour.
Nearly 100 attendees from various forestry, land management, department of the interior and future customers of commercial markets and others were on hand to witness the incredible work done by the K-MAX at the Nov. 5 demonstration. Spoor shared that use of the K-MAX could be seen as early as next year, for the 2015 fire season.
The K-MAX is able to reach extremely dangerous areas, in all weather, without risking lives. Referring to the value of the K-MAX in Afghanistan, Kaman Aerospace Group President Greg Steiner, explained, ”It helped keep convoys off the road, and soldiers out of harms’ way.”
In regard to continued value of the K-MAX, Steiner added, “The unmanned configuration will allow for a new level of firefighting.”
Larry Brinker, NUAIR executive director, commented, “I applaud the efforts of Lockheed and Kaman with this groundbreaking opportunity to move from military to civilian use.”
During a question and answer session following the press conference, Spoor shared that additional job growth may be seen in the future, after additional K-MAX testing and capabilities are determined.
From a news release dated Nov. 18, 2014, “Manufactured by Kaman and outfitted with an advanced mission suite by Lockheed Martin, unmanned K-MAX has a twin-rotor design that maximizes lift capability in the most challenging environments. Indago is capable of providing tactical situational awareness and geo-location to aid in a variety of missions, from firefighting to precision agriculture to search and rescue.”
