BLOOMFIELD, Conn., April 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Dangerous
frontline operations call for a safe and efficient method to locate
and evacuate wounded personnel. To address this critical need and
help save lives, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Kaman Aerospace
(NYSE: KAMN), and Neya Systems demonstrated the first ever
collaborative unmanned air and ground casualty evacuation using the
unmanned aerial system (UAS) control segment architecture and
K-MAX® cargo helicopter on March
26.
During the demonstration, a distress call led ground operators
to send an unmanned ground vehicle to assess the area and injured
party. The ground operators used control stations that
communicated with one another using the UAS control segment
architecture. Upon successful identification, the ground operators
requested airlift by unmanned K-MAX of one individual who was
injured. From the ground, the K-MAX operators used a tablet to
determine the precise location and a safe landing area to provide
assistance to the team. The injured team member was strapped into a
seat on the side of the unmanned K-MAX, which then flew that
individual to safety.
"This application of the unmanned K-MAX enables day or night
transport of wounded personnel to safety without endangering
additional lives," said 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,"
said 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."
While deployed with the U.S. Marine Corps from 2011 to 2014,
unmanned K-MAX successfully conducted resupply operations,
delivering more than 4.5 million pounds of cargo during more than
1,900 missions. Manufactured by Kaman and outfitted with an
advanced mission suite by Lockheed Martin, unmanned K-MAX is
engineered with a twin-rotor design that maximizes lift capability
in the most challenging environments, from the mountainous Alps to
the Persian Gulf. Its advanced autonomy allows unmanned K-MAX to
work day and night, in all-weather, even when manned assets are
unable to fly. Lockheed Martin continues to extend and mature the
K-MAX helicopter's onboard technology and autonomy for defense
operations, as well as demonstrate its use for civil and commercial
applications.
With five decades of experience in unmanned and robotic systems
for air, land and sea, Lockheed Martin's unmanned systems are
engineered to help our military, civil and commercial customers
accomplish their most difficult challenges today and in the
future.
Headquartered in Bethesda,
Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace
company that employs approximately 112,000 people worldwide and is
principally engaged in the research, design, development,
manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology
systems, products and services. The Corporation's net sales for
2014 were $45.6 billion.
Kaman Aerospace is a division Kaman Corporation , which was
founded in 1945 by aviation pioneer Charles
H. Kaman. Headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut, The company produces
and/or markets widely used proprietary aircraft bearings and
components; complex metallic and composite aerostructures; safe and
arm solutions for missile and bomb systems ; and support for the
company's SH-2G Super Seasprite maritime helicopters and K-MAX
medium-to-heavy lift helicopters.
Neya Systems, LLC is a small business unmanned systems company
in Wexford, Pennsylvania. Founded
in 2009, Neya focuses on developing interoperable solutions to the
world's hardest robotics problems. Neya Systems, LLC, is a 2014 INC
5000 Listee, and in 2015 was named by Fast Company magazine as one
of the Top-10 Worldwide Most Innovative Companies in Robotics. For
more information, visit http://www.neyasystems.com
For additional information, visit our website:
www.lockheedmartin.com/auvsi
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150428/212417
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141118/159313LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/making-unmanned-search-and-rescue-a-reality-unmanned-k-max-helicopter-conducts-first-collaborative-casualty-evacuation-300073993.html
SOURCE Lockheed Martin