Kaman Aircraft
Encyclopedia
Kaman Aircraft is a U.S. aerospace
company, with headquarters in Bloomfield, Connecticut
. It was founded in 1945
by Charles Kaman
. During the first ten years the company operated exclusively as a designer and manufacturer of several helicopter
s that set world records and achieved many aviation firsts.
In 1956
, Kaman began to diversify as an aerospace subcontractor of McDonnell Douglas
, Grumman and others. In the mid-1960s Kaman diversified outside of the aerospace industry, using the expertise Kaman had gained in composite material
s and the end of the need for skilled woodworkers to craft wooden rotor blades. Charles Kaman, a guitar
ist as well as an aerospace pioneer, worked with his engineers and other musicians to create the round-backed, composite-body Ovation guitar
, which revolutionized the guitar industry and led to the eventual creation of Kaman Music. Kaman Music is an independent distributor of musical instruments and accessories, and a major producer of guitars and guitar parts and accessories.
January 15, 1947 : K-125 - Kaman's first helicopter; Kaman selected an intermeshed contrarotating twin rotor
design.
July, 1949 : K-225
- An improved version of the K-125; the U.S. Navy bought two and the Coast Guard one for $25,000 each. Later, they received the H-22 designation.
December 1951 : A modified K-225 equipped with a Boeing 502 (YT50)
engine becomes the world's first gas turbine
powered helicopter. This aircraft is now at the Smithsonian
1953 : Kaman produced the first electrically powered drone
April 1953 : Ordered for the U.S. Marine Corps, the HOK-1 first flies; Air Force version was the H-43A Huskie
1954 : K-16 A V/STOL
designed around a rotoprop
March 1954 : A modified Kaman HTK-1 becomes the world's first twin-turbine powered helicopter
September, 1956 : HH-43 Huskie — A variant of the OH-43, equipped with a Lycoming T-53
gas turbine engine
July 1957 : QH-43 - A HTK-1 modified as a UAV
1958
July 2, 1959 : HU2K-1; later known as UH-2A Seasprite
March 1960 : Kaman develops and flies the first all composite main rotor blade.
October 1961 : The H-43 Huskie sets an altitude record of 10.000 m and numerous rate of climb records.
1962 : UH-2A / B production begins
January 1964
1965
1967 : Seasprites are modified into twin turbine helicopters
1969 : US Navy begins LAMPS
(Light Airborne Multipurpose System) development to obtain a on board helicopter for escort ships
1971 : SAVER — The Stowable Aircrew Vehicle Escape Rotoseat is the first jet-powered autogyro with telescoping rotor blades
May 1973 : SH-2F Seasprite
- The LAMPS Mk I enters US Navy service
July 1976 : Kaman designs and begins manufacturing the K-747 blade, the world's first production all-composite rotor blade for the Bell AH-1 Cobra
helicopter. Total production exceeds 4,000 blades.
January 1991 : Magic Lantern, a new laser-based mine countermeasures system, is deployed in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm. It is highly successful in locating mines.
February 1993 : SH-2G Seasprite - The new version of the Seasprite, with new avionics, mission electronics and GE T-700 engines, enters US Navy service
August 1994 : K-1200 K-MAX - a purpose-built helicopter with intermeshing rotors
specializing in external load operations.
November 1998 : The Egyptian Air Force accepts delivery of its 10th SH-2G Super Seasprite for use in anti-submarine warfare missions, completing the order and becoming the first international customer to operate the aircraft.
August 1999 : New Zealand approves purchase of SH-2G(NZ).
January 2000 : Australian SH-2G(A) begins initial flight testing.
January 2001 : U.S. Government purchases 5 K-MAX for Peru.
October 2002 : The 5 Peruvian K-MAX are transferred to the Colombian Army where they are still in service as of 2008.
June 2008 : All Royal Australian Navy SH-2G Seasprite helicopters are withdrawn from service and returned to supplier as budget blew-out and contract specifications unable to be met.
January 31, 2011 : Charles Huron Kaman, founder of Kaman Aircraft, was one of the leading aviation pioneers of the 20th century died on Tuesday,February 1, 2011, Bloomfield, CT. He was 91. ref
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
company, with headquarters in Bloomfield, Connecticut
Bloomfield, Connecticut
Bloomfield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,626 at the 2009 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and 0.2 square miles is water.Bloomfield is bordered by Windsor to the...
. It was founded in 1945
1945 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1945:- Events :* The probe-and-drogue aerial refueling system, in which the tanker aircraft trails a hose with a stabilizing conical drogue at its end which mates to a fixed probe mounted on the receiving aircraft, is perfected...
by Charles Kaman
Charles Kaman
Charles Huron Kaman was an American aeronautical engineer, businessman, inventor and philanthropist, known for his work in rotary-wing flight and also in musical instrument design via the Kaman Music Corporation.-Biography:...
. During the first ten years the company operated exclusively as a designer and manufacturer of several helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s that set world records and achieved many aviation firsts.
In 1956
1956 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1956:-February:* February 18 – An engine fire breaks out on a Scottish Airlines Avro York just after takeoff from Malta International Airport, Luqa, Malta...
, Kaman began to diversify as an aerospace subcontractor of McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It formed from a merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft in 1967. McDonnell Douglas was based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...
, Grumman and others. In the mid-1960s Kaman diversified outside of the aerospace industry, using the expertise Kaman had gained in composite material
Composite material
Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or...
s and the end of the need for skilled woodworkers to craft wooden rotor blades. Charles Kaman, a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist as well as an aerospace pioneer, worked with his engineers and other musicians to create the round-backed, composite-body Ovation guitar
Ovation Guitar
The Ovation Guitar Company, a holding of Kaman Music Corporation, is a guitar manufacturing company based in New Hartford, Connecticut, USA. Ovation primarily manufactures Steel-stringed acoustic guitars....
, which revolutionized the guitar industry and led to the eventual creation of Kaman Music. Kaman Music is an independent distributor of musical instruments and accessories, and a major producer of guitars and guitar parts and accessories.
Kaman timeline
December 1945 : With $2,000 and his invention of the servo-flap controlled rotor, 26-year-old Charles Kaman founded the company.January 15, 1947 : K-125 - Kaman's first helicopter; Kaman selected an intermeshed contrarotating twin rotor
Intermeshing rotors
Intermeshing rotors on a helicopter are a set of two rotors turning in opposite directions, with each rotor mast mounted on the helicopter with a slight angle to the other, in a transversely symmetrical manner, so that the blades intermesh without colliding. The arrangement allows the helicopter to...
design.
July, 1949 : K-225
Kaman K-225
-External links:* 1949 Popular Science article on Kaman K-190 and the blade intermesh technology developed by Kaman — ie rare photos* * *...
- An improved version of the K-125; the U.S. Navy bought two and the Coast Guard one for $25,000 each. Later, they received the H-22 designation.
December 1951 : A modified K-225 equipped with a Boeing 502 (YT50)
Boeing T50
-External links:* * article at bottom of page on earlier Model 500...
engine becomes the world's first gas turbine
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
powered helicopter. This aircraft is now at the Smithsonian
1953 : Kaman produced the first electrically powered drone
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
April 1953 : Ordered for the U.S. Marine Corps, the HOK-1 first flies; Air Force version was the H-43A Huskie
1954 : K-16 A V/STOL
V/STOL
Vertical and/or short take-off and landing is a term used to describe aircraft that are able to take-off or land vertically or on short runways. Vertical takeoff and landing describes craft which do not require runways at all...
designed around a rotoprop
March 1954 : A modified Kaman HTK-1 becomes the world's first twin-turbine powered helicopter
September, 1956 : HH-43 Huskie — A variant of the OH-43, equipped with a Lycoming T-53
Lycoming T53
-External links:* *...
gas turbine engine
July 1957 : QH-43 - A HTK-1 modified as a UAV
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
1958
- Kaman K-17 - A tipjet powered helicopter. A Blackburn-built TurmoTurbomeca Turmo-External links:*...
turbine powering a compressor delivering the air to the rotor tips.
July 2, 1959 : HU2K-1; later known as UH-2A Seasprite
SH-2 Seasprite
The Kaman SH-2 Seasprite is a ship-based helicopter with anti-submarine, anti-surface threat capability, including over-the-horizon targeting. This aircraft extends and increases shipboard sensor and weapon capabilities against several types of enemy threats, including submarines of all types,...
March 1960 : Kaman develops and flies the first all composite main rotor blade.
October 1961 : The H-43 Huskie sets an altitude record of 10.000 m and numerous rate of climb records.
- During the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the Huskie flew more rescue missions than all other aircraft combined — with the best safety record of any U.S. military aircraft.
1962 : UH-2A / B production begins
January 1964
- First flight of Kaman's experimental ConvertiplaneConvertiplaneA convertiplane is an aircraft that converts in flight to change the method to obtain lift, and is capable of vertical take-off and landing. The most common example uses a standard wing in horizontal flight and proprotors for takeoff and landing; the proprotors could be in a tilt rotor or tilt wing...
equipped with a GE J-85General Electric J85-External links:**...
engine and wings from a Beechcraft Queen Air. The aircraft achieves speeds of over 320 km/h
1965
- Tomahawk — A Seasprite modified with stub wings and a pair of twin guns side-by-side under the nose. Kaman's proposal for the US Army 's interim gunship helicopter between the AAFSS (AH-56) and AAH (AH-64) competitions. Lost to the Bell 209 (AH-1 HueyCobraAH-1 CobraThe Bell AH-1 Cobra is a two-bladed, single engine attack helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It shares a common engine, transmission and rotor system with the older UH-1 Iroquois...
)
1967 : Seasprites are modified into twin turbine helicopters
1969 : US Navy begins LAMPS
Light airborne multi-purpose system
Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System is the United States Navy's program that developed manned helicopters that assist the surface fleet in anti-submarine warfare.*SH-2 Seasprite *SH-60 Seahawk...
(Light Airborne Multipurpose System) development to obtain a on board helicopter for escort ships
1971 : SAVER — The Stowable Aircrew Vehicle Escape Rotoseat is the first jet-powered autogyro with telescoping rotor blades
May 1973 : SH-2F Seasprite
SH-2 Seasprite
The Kaman SH-2 Seasprite is a ship-based helicopter with anti-submarine, anti-surface threat capability, including over-the-horizon targeting. This aircraft extends and increases shipboard sensor and weapon capabilities against several types of enemy threats, including submarines of all types,...
- The LAMPS Mk I enters US Navy service
July 1976 : Kaman designs and begins manufacturing the K-747 blade, the world's first production all-composite rotor blade for the Bell AH-1 Cobra
AH-1 Cobra
The Bell AH-1 Cobra is a two-bladed, single engine attack helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It shares a common engine, transmission and rotor system with the older UH-1 Iroquois...
helicopter. Total production exceeds 4,000 blades.
January 1991 : Magic Lantern, a new laser-based mine countermeasures system, is deployed in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm. It is highly successful in locating mines.
February 1993 : SH-2G Seasprite - The new version of the Seasprite, with new avionics, mission electronics and GE T-700 engines, enters US Navy service
August 1994 : K-1200 K-MAX - a purpose-built helicopter with intermeshing rotors
Intermeshing rotors
Intermeshing rotors on a helicopter are a set of two rotors turning in opposite directions, with each rotor mast mounted on the helicopter with a slight angle to the other, in a transversely symmetrical manner, so that the blades intermesh without colliding. The arrangement allows the helicopter to...
specializing in external load operations.
November 1998 : The Egyptian Air Force accepts delivery of its 10th SH-2G Super Seasprite for use in anti-submarine warfare missions, completing the order and becoming the first international customer to operate the aircraft.
August 1999 : New Zealand approves purchase of SH-2G(NZ).
January 2000 : Australian SH-2G(A) begins initial flight testing.
January 2001 : U.S. Government purchases 5 K-MAX for Peru.
October 2002 : The 5 Peruvian K-MAX are transferred to the Colombian Army where they are still in service as of 2008.
June 2008 : All Royal Australian Navy SH-2G Seasprite helicopters are withdrawn from service and returned to supplier as budget blew-out and contract specifications unable to be met.
January 31, 2011 : Charles Huron Kaman, founder of Kaman Aircraft, was one of the leading aviation pioneers of the 20th century died on Tuesday,February 1, 2011, Bloomfield, CT. He was 91. ref
Products
- K-125
- K-190
- K-225Kaman K-225-External links:* 1949 Popular Science article on Kaman K-190 and the blade intermesh technology developed by Kaman — ie rare photos* * *...
- HH-43 Huskie/HOK/HUK
- Kaman SH-2 Seasprite
- Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite
- Kaman K-1200 K-Max