On the heels of Sikorsky’s ballyhooed flight of an autonomous Black Hawk, Connecticut’s other helicopter manufacturer is nearing flight tests for an aerial drone to tote cargo to troops, workers in remote locales, or people needing emergency supplies after disasters.

Kaman plans its first flight tests later this year for Kargo UAV, an unmanned aerial vehicle designed to lift loads of up to 800 lbs. and carry them hundreds of miles. The Bloomfield manufacturer is hoping to interest the U.S. military in the rotorcraft drone, as well as select industries that rely on regular cargo shuttles or sporadic replenishment flights.

The Naval Helicopter Association Historical Society credits Kaman with being the first to fly an unmanned helicopter, in 1957. The U.S. Marine Corps used a remotely piloted version of the company’s K-MAX helicopter in Afghanistan, and the Marines have prototypes of Kaman’s newest K-MAX Titan helicopter drone that is designed to carry more than…

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Source: www.middletownpress.com