Kaman’s Unmanned Air Vehicle Designs - A Run through History including the latest developments

On December 12, 1945, Kaman Aerospace Corporation opened its doors as Kaman Aircraft Corporation. In its path to success Kaman found itself in the midst of numerous development programs some successful and some not so successful. The basic principle that gave rise to Kaman Aircraft, the servo-flap, came to be hailed as a means to pursue one’s dream of rotary flight. Charlie Kaman found himself developing intermesher rotor technology for applications then and continues today. The spawn of rotorcraft and the insatiable appetite to expand their application in just about every aspect of the American life, gave rise to the first remotely controlled rotorcraft. The development and use of the first UAV circa 1950 will be presented, as well as an account of the programs that followed since, including the development of the first automatic stability augmentation system, the droning of UH-1 helicopters, and the autonomously piloted K-MAX as part of the USMC BURRO program.