K-MAX Conducts First Collaborative Casualty Evacuation Mission
Photo: Lockheed Martin Corp.
Lockheed Martin, Kaman Aerospace and Neya Systems recently demonstrated the first unmanned casualty evacuation demonstration using both air and ground assets, including the K-MAX cargo helicopter.
The demonstration, which was held March 26, simulated a distress call, which tasked an unmanned ground vehicle to assess an area with an injured person. Using control stations where operators could communicate with one another via the UAS control segment architecture, they then requested an airlift for the individual. A team of K-MAX operators used tablets to determine a safe landing area for the K-MAX and, upon its arrival, strapped the injured team member into a seat before the system flew to a safe location.
"This application of the unmanned K-MAX enables day or night transport of wounded personnel to safety without endangering additional lives," says Jay McConville, director of business development for Unmanned Integrated Solutions at Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training. "Since the K-MAX returned from a nearly three-year deployment with the U.S. Marine Corps, we've seen benefits of and extended our open system design incorporating the UAS control segment architecture, which allows rapid integration of new applications across industry to increase the safety of operations, such as casualty evacuation, where lives are at stake."
"Neya is continuing to develop advanced technologies for human robot interfaces for complex platforms and multi-robot missions," says Dr. Parag Batavia, president of Neya. "Our and Lockheed Martin's use of the unmanned aircraft system control segment architecture greatly sped up integration of our respective technologies, resulting in a comprehensive capability that can be ultimately transitioned to the warfighter very efficiently."
The K-MAX is most known for its unmanned cargo resupply missions while deployed with the U.S. Marine Corps from 2011 to 2014.
