K-Max gets FAA IFR certification for USN VertRep requirement

June 15th, 1999

Kaman's K-MAX helicopter has been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for operations under instrument flight rule (IFR) conditions. The certification meets a US Navy requirement for vertical replenishment aircraft.

The Navy has requested proposals for leasing civil-IFR certified vertical replenishment (VERTREP) helicopters able to transfer cargo between ships at sea by day or night. The Navy plans to deploy detachments of VERTREP helicopters aboard Military Sealift Command ships for re-supplying the Atlantic fleet.

Kaman designed and validated a new Stability Augmentation System (SAS), hydraulically assisted flight controls, and other K-MAX modifications to earn formal IFR certification last month.

The US Navy expressed its desire for IFR certification after a successful six-month sea deployment by two K-MAX helicopters in 1996. The VERTREP demonstration aircraft were equipped with VOR, ILS, DME, TACAN, GPS, and marker beacon avionics for operations from Navy ships and any shore-based aviation facility. While the Kaman pilots were IFR qualified, the US Navy required that the K-MAX helicopter have an official IFR certification for over-water operations at night.

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