Marines get ‘hot hookup,’ pioneer new technique

Story by Cpl. Lisa Tourtelot HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 2, the “Night Owls,” made history earlier this week when they completed the first “hot hookups” between landing support Marines on the ground and a hovering Kaman K1200, “K-MAX,” unmanned helicopter in Helmand province, Afghanistan, May 22. In the nearly 20 years of its commercial and military use, no organization had ever attempted to hook cargo to the K-MAX while it was in unmanned flight. “This was particularly important because it was a milestone in unmanned aviation,” said Maj. John Norton, the officer in charge of Cargo Resupply Unmanned Aircraft Systems with the Night Owls and a Rochester, N.Y., native. “It’s a stepping stone to increasing our capabilities in the unmanned aviation spectrum.” The K-MAX system has been in use largely in the Pacific Northwest logging industry and most recently, in testing with the Marine Corps. While its purpose has been external cargo movements, users relied on a pilot to bring the aircraft to an idle mode while on the ground, hook up the cargo and then take off unmanned, explained Norton. “[The traditional method of external lifting] takes time and requires more personnel to operate,” said […]
Marines get ‘hot hookup,’ pioneer new technique