Navy awards Marine UAS cargo contract.

NAVAIR reports the awarding of contracts for the Marine cargo lifting UAS projects. Missing a position is the MQ 8B Fire Scout.  With the ability to lift only 200lbs perhaps the Fire Scout was never a serious player. Boeings A160T Hummingbird lifts a lot more and in a streamlined pod, so the load gets there quicker.

But the king of the hill has to be the Kaman K-Max bags of load hot and high and the ability to be optionally manned.

The K-Max helicopter uses an intermeshed rotor system that eliminates the need for a tail rotor and allows all of the power generated by the engine to turn the main rotors. The two intermeshed rotors, which rotate in opposite directions at a slight angle so their blades don’t collide, greatly increase the craft’s lift capabilities. In fact, such design provides a one-to-one lift ratio so the K-Max can carry up to 6,000 pounds (more than its own weight). This design also improves the vehicle’s stability in high altitude and hot environment conditions and limits the noise signature of the craft.

K-Max helicopters currently deployed in industry are manned models without such a control system. The manned version of the K-Max has successfully flown over 225,000 hours with good performance ratings.

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy announced today the award of two fixed-price contracts to Boeing/Frontier Systems and Lockheed Martin for Cargo Unmanned Aircraft System services for $29.9 and $45.8 million respectively.

The Cargo UAS services contract is in response to an urgent needs requirement in support of Marine Corps forces in Operation Enduring Freedom. This capability will augment ground and air logistics operations, supplement rotary-wing assets and reduce warfighters’ exposure to Improved Explosive Devices in theater.

“We are trying to get this much needed capability to the warfighter as quickly as possible,” said Rear Adm. Bill Shannon, Program Executive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons. “By evaluating two different systems, we have the ability to accelerate development of technology and use it immediately to support the warfighter while maintaining competition.”

Both contracts include development of two air vehicles, three remote ground control stations and a Quick Reaction Assessment (QRA). The systems will be government-owned and contractor-operated. Each contract also includes a separate fixed-price option for a six-month deployment.

In order to meet the operational needs of the Marine Corps, the Navy made a decision to award two contracts to reduce potential deployment delays and inability to meet performance requirements. The Navy will conduct a QRA in summer 2011 to prove systems’ ability to sustain cargo-carrying capability in an operational environment. Immediately following a successful QRA, one contractor’s in-country service option will be exercised and their system will deploy to OEF.

“While we only plan on deploying one system after a successful QRA, we will explore options for using the second system for future operational missions and/or science and technology development, should it also meet performance requirements,” said Capt. Tim Dunigan, Program Manger for Navy and Marine Corps Multi-Mission Tactical Unmanned Air Systems (PMA-266).

The Navy intends to field Cargo UAS in fall 2011 for a six-month deployment. After the initial deployment, Navy and Marine Corps leadership will assess the value of the capability and determine if an extension or re-compete contract should be pursued.