Marines get ‘hot hook-up,’ pioneer new technique

5/30/2012  By Cpl. Lisa M. Tourtelot  , 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (FWD) 

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan  — Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 2, the “Night Owls,” made history earlier this week when they completed the first “hot hook-ups” between landing support Marines on the ground and a hovering Kaman K1200 “K-MAX” unmanned helicopter in Helmand province, Afghanistan, May 22.

In the nearly 20 years of its commercial and military use, no organization had ever attempted to hook cargo to the K-MAX while it was in unmanned flight.

“This was particularly important because it was a milestone in unmanned aviation,” said Maj. John Norton, the officer in charge of Cargo Resupply Unmanned Aircraft Systems with the Night Owls and a Rochester, N.Y., native. “It’s a stepping stone to increasing our capabilities in the unmanned aviation spectrum.”

The K-MAX system has been in use largely in the Pacific Northwest logging industry and most recently in testing with the Marine Corps. While its purpose has been external cargo movements, users relied on a pilot to bring the aircraft to an idle mode while on the ground, hook up the cargo and then take off unmanned, explained Norton.

“It takes time and requires more personnel to operate,” said Norton. “With a hot hook-up from the hover, we’re able to come into the zone more expeditiously, which gives us more time to go forward with the fuel supply on the aircraft.”

The landing support team Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 5 who participated in the ground-breaking training were no strangers external cargo hook-ups, but working with an unmanned helicopter provided unfamiliar working conditions.

“Working with unmanned is a lot different,” said Sgt. Brianna Conte, a landing support team leader with CLB-5 and Lafayette, Calif., native. “Usually when we’re working with a manned aircraft we have pilots…and crew chiefs to look up to when we’re underneath the helicopter. With unmanned it’s not like that. We have the [air vehicle operator] and a spotter who are our eyes when we’re getting it all hooked up.”

The team of Marines broke ground for CLB-5, as well, being the first Marines to execute a hot hook-up with a hovering unmanned helicopter.

“This is probably one of the best experiences I’ve had in the Marine Corps thus far,” said Conte. “I speak for my Marines when I say we were extremely excited. Not everyone can say they were the first ones to do something.”

The K-MAX is still in trials for use in the Marine Corps, but the platform has already moved more than one million pounds of cargo in less than six months of tests. On the first night of hot hook-ups the squadron was able to move nearly 6,000 pounds of gear to Marines in remote locations.

“The possibilities this opens up for the Marine Corps is just increasing our capabilities,” said Norton.

The Night Owls and CLB-5 personnel will continue hot hook-up trials throughout the month, pioneering a new, more efficient use of the unmanned helicopter system.

 

(c) USMC