K R Max Popular Books

K R Max Biography & Facts

The Kaman K-MAX (company designation K-1200) is a helicopter with intermeshing rotors (synchropter) designed and produced by the American manufacturer Kaman Aircraft. Developed during the 1980s and 1990s, the K-MAX builds on the work of the German aeronautical engineer Anton Flettner. Performing its maiden flight on December 23, 1991, it was specially designed to optimally perform external cargo load operations and is capable of lifting payloads in excess of 6,000 pounds (2,700 kg), which is greater than the helicopter's empty weight and almost twice as much as the competing Bell 205 despite sharing a similar engine. Being a synchropter, it has greater efficiency in comparison to conventional rotor technology. In addition to airlifting external loads, specialised configurations for aerial firefighting and casualty evacuation have been developed. It was produced for both military and civilian operators. Kaman sought to develop the K-MAX into an unmanned aerial vehicle with optional remote control. During the early 2010s, a pair of unmanned K-Maxes underwent an extended battlefield evaluation as a cargo UAV, for which purpose they were deployed to provide logistics support to United States Marine Corps (USMC) ground forces during the war in Afghanistan. Despite receiving numerous awards, the K-MAX was ultimately passed over by the USMC in favour of an unmanned version of the Boeing H-6U Little Bird. The company stated its intention to continue development and to seek out other customers for this capability. An optionally-piloted configuration, branded as the ’’K-Max Titan’’, underwent flight testing in 2021. The initial production run of the K-MAX ran between 1991 and 2003, at which point the line was shuttered after the completion of 38 helicopters due to low customer demand. During June 2015, Kaman announced that it was restarting production following the receipt of ten commercial orders for the K-MAX. During May 2017, the first flight of a K-MAX built on the restarted production line took place; two months later, the first new-build aircraft since 2003 was delivered to a customer based in China. However, in January 2023, amid a downturn in demand, Kaman announced its intention to shutter production of the K-MAX once again. Development Background In 1947, the German aeronautical engineer Anton Flettner was brought to the United States as part of Operation Paperclip. He was the developer of the two earlier synchropter designs from Germany during the Second World War: the Flettner Fl 265 which pioneered the synchropter layout, and the slightly later Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri ("Hummingbird"), intended for eventual production. Both designs used the principle of counter-rotating side-by-side intermeshing rotors, as the means to solve the problem of torque compensation, normally countered in single–rotor helicopters by a tail rotor, fenestron, NOTAR, or vented blower exhaust, which can use 10-25% of the engine power. Flettner remained in the United States and became the chief designer of the Kaman company. In this capacity, he designed numerous new helicopters that used the Flettner double rotor. Design The K-MAX series is the latest in a long line of Kaman synchropters, the most famous of which is the HH-43 Huskie. The first turbine-powered helicopter was also a Kaman synchropter. HH-43 customers requested a similar helicopter from Kaman, optimized for lifting. Accordingly, the K-MAX relies on two primary advantages of synchropters over conventional helicopters: The increased efficiency compared to conventional rotor-lift technology; and the synchropter's natural tendency to hover. This increases stability, especially for precision work in placing suspended loads. At the same time, the synchropter is more responsive to pilot control inputs, making it possible to easily swing a load, or to scatter seed, chemicals, or water over a larger area. The K-MAX was flight certified in 1994. The K-1200 K-MAX "aerial truck" is the world's first helicopter specifically designed, tested, and certified for repetitive external lift operations and vertical reference flight (Kaman received IFR Certification in 1999), an important feature for external load work. Other rotorcraft used for these tasks are adapted from general-purpose helicopters, or those intended to primarily carry passengers or internal cargo. The K-MAX can lift 6,000 lb (2,700 kg), almost twice as much as the Bell 205 using a different version of the same engine. The aircraft's narrow, wedge-shaped profile and bulging side windows give the pilot a good view of the load looking down&out from either side of the aircraft, with the most important flight instruments duplicated on the outside of the aircraft, near the pilot's line of sight straight down to the load. The cargo hook slides freely on a curved bearing under the helicopter's center of gravity, improving cargo handling during flight. The seat is FAA crashworthiness approved. The transmission has a reduction ratio of 24.3:1 in three stages, and is designed for unlimited life. The two rotor masts are set at an angle of 25 degrees apart to allow the rotors to intermesh with each other. The masts transfer rotation from the transmission to the rotor blades. The rotor blades (which turn in opposite directions at 250—270 rpm) are built with a Sitka spruce wooden spar and Nomex fiberglass trailing edge sections. Wood was chosen for its damage tolerance and fatigue resistance; and to take advantage of field experience and qualification data amassed from a similar spar on the HH-43 Huskie helicopter, built for the U.S. Air Force in the 1950s and 1960s. The pilot controls the blade pitch via steel tubes running inside the mast and rotor blades to move servo flaps that pitch the blades, reducing required force and avoiding the added weight, cost and maintenance of hydraulic controls. Due to the rotor principle, the helicopter is operated slightly differently compared to regular helicopters, and pilots go through a flight training program in an HH-43 Huskie. First termination of production Between 1991 and 2003, thirty-eight K-MAX helicopters had been completed by Kaman. In 2003, amid a wider downturn that impacted the whole aviation industry, it was decided to shutter the production line. However, this move did not lead to development work being halted; instead, such initiatives were continued for an extended period and new partners on the programme were sought. Unmanned version As early as 1998, Kaman was working on the development of an unmanned version of the K-MAX. During March 2007, Kaman and Lockheed Martin (Team K-MAX) signed a Strategic Relationship Agreement (SRA) to jointly pursue U.S. DoD opportunities. An unmanned mostly autonomously flying, optionally remote controlled and optionally piloted vehicle (OPV) version, the K-MAX Unmanned Multi-Mission Helicopter was developed for hazardous missions. It can be used in combat to deliver supplies to the battlefi.... Discover the K R Max popular books. Find the top 100 most popular K R Max books.