Kaman K-MAX

K-1200 K-MAX
A Kaman K-1200 from Rotex aviation
General information
Type	Medium lift helicopter
Manufacturer	Kaman Aircraft
Status	Production ended, in service
History
Manufactured	1991–2003, 2015–2023
First flight	December 23, 1991

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.^[1] 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.