Lockheed Martin has announced that two unmanned K-MAX helicopters will remain in theatre in Afghanistan until September on a deployment extension. Between them, the aircraft have delivered more than one million pounds in less than four months in support of US Marine Corps (USMC) operations.

Developed in a joint effort by Lockheed Martin and Kaman Aerospace, K-MAX is the first unmanned helicopter to deliver cargo and resupply troops in a combat zone. According to Lockheed Martin, they have been keeping a steady pace of six missions per day, with record load deliveries ranging from a single 4,200-pound sling load to 28,800 pounds lifted in a single day. During operations in Afghanistan, previously scheduled to end in June, the aircraft has ‘met or exceeded all expectations with less than one maintenance man-hour per flight hour’. As a result, the USMC has extended the K-MAX deployment through the end of September.