USMC Kaman CQ-24A optionally piloted helicopter (my own photos)

Posted by richard7k@reddit | WeirdWings | View on Reddit | 56 comments

The U.S. Marine Corps converted two Kaman K-MAX intermeshing-rotor helicopters into CQ-24A "optionally piloted" transport drones, which flew from 2011 to 2014 and resupplied combat outposts in Afghanistan. When I visited the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum (Maryland) last month, one of the CQ-24As was the newest exhibit on the outdoor flightline.

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Professor_Smartax@reddit

How do they keep the rotors from whacking each other?

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richard7k@reddit (OP)

Intermeshing rotors -- the rotor blades are synchronized and slightly angled away from each other to avoid colliding.

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Professor_Smartax@reddit

Yeah, but it always looks like it's a sneeze away from the rotors chopping each other off.

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The_Demolition_Man@reddit

I remember seeing this thing deliver supplies to my fob in 2012. I remember people saying it was unmanned but didnt believe it at the time.

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Adventurous_Eagle438@reddit

They were, they were flown by VMU-2

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Adventurous_Eagle438@reddit

VMU-2 operated these out of MCAS Cherry Point for a short while, they have the distinction of using one for the first autonomous resupply of a location under fire.

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MarvinManyracks@reddit

Kind of looks like someone squished a helicopter

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OregonHotPocket@reddit

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snowplot3_the_great@reddit

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Diogenes256@reddit

There is a heavy lift version of this that does duty putting lift tower parts in place at mountain ski resorts. They put huge thrust down. I know because I was blown off of a high mountain road by one while cycling in the e Dolomites.

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getdownheavy@reddit

I'm surprised Europe didn't have a safety perimeter for the downwash.

I've been rock climbing and got to look down on one installing power transmission poles before.

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richard7k@reddit (OP)

Hope you made it back safely after that!

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dirty_hooker@reddit

He’s still up there, dangling from his clipless over a crevasse. Send help.

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Rasputinsgiantdong@reddit

I heard he died.

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General_Douglas@reddit

Cliff Hanger???

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FoxPhire0@reddit

Ball knower

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Mackey_Corp@reddit

My favorite helicopter! Originally built in Bloomfield CT. Not sure if they still make them there though.

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armageddonbadger@reddit

Great grandfather was a test pilot there! Grandfather edited the technical manuals back in the 60.

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DisposablePanda@reddit

I went to middle school across from the plant, their test flights used to distract the whole class at first, by the end of the first semester we'd barely notice them

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heyflyguy@reddit

I think they stopped production a few years ago.

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murphsmodels@reddit

The other one is at Pima Air and Space museum near me

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richard7k@reddit (OP)

Nice photo! That museum is on my wishlist for whenever I can visit Arizona.

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DouchecraftCarrier@reddit

It's absolutely worth visiting. The access you get to some of the airframes is truly unparalleled. Somewhere I have a photo of me sticking my head into the exhaust pipe of an old Thunderbirds F-4 they have in one of the rooms.

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murphsmodels@reddit

They also have a lot of rare birds. Martin Mars, Martin Mariner, Piper Enforcer, Boeing YC-14, Columbia XJL-1, Sikorsky S-43. Just a few off the top of my head.

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EmpunktAtze@reddit

Why of course it is. Is there anything they don't have?

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murphsmodels@reddit

They don't have an L-1011, MD-11, a C-5 or a C-17. I'm kinda hoping FedEx or UPS will donate one of their MD-11s after they're retired. The Boneyard next door supposedly has a C-5 set aside for them.

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He-who-knows-some@reddit

It needs a transformers style “ai pilot” do when it gets shot at they think us Americans are unflinching Or impervious.

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Constant_Flamingo828@reddit

Wow. That is unfortunate looking.

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Flyin_ruski@reddit

Hey, I saw one of these flying (or something very similar) a couple of weeks ago in California!

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knightNi@reddit

I think there used to be talks about converting these things into fire fighting helicopters.

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Leakyboatlouie@reddit

Pretty sporty rotor configuration.

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Caldeagle@reddit

I hear the USPS is considering a fleet of these as their new delivery vehicles

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TapDancinJesus@reddit

k-max and stuff like husky are just so goofy lookin

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Vinyl-addict@reddit

I know the way they’re geared doesn’t allow the blades to touch but that doesn’t keep this design from wildly aggravating my anxiety.

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CityShooter@reddit

I lived in Connecticut years ago. I watched Kaman test these at a small airport near my house called "Johnny Cake"

The were lifting weights off a flatbed.

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TechSgt_Garp@reddit

Why do we need the name of your house? /s

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CityShooter@reddit

Sorry.. Johnny Cake is a small Airport in CT ... upstate.. not my house

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FlamingTrashcans@reddit

Big ahh forehead

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blurfgh@reddit

A huge shame these weren’t picked up for a full order

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ChinoUSMC0231@reddit

Was this the same inspiration for Cobra’s Mamba helicopter?

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lucathecontemplator@reddit

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alyxms@reddit

A true "bubble canopy" on that side window. For landing I'm guessing?

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Cthell@reddit

Could be for flying crane duty, where being able to see what the payload hook is doing is important

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Radioactive_Tuber57@reddit

Helos used for logging have them too.

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Qtrfoil@reddit

Yes, the type was frequently used for logging.

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alyxms@reddit

Good point

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wreckingball-man@reddit

Looks like a pretty fast lil booger to try and catch.... 😂🏴‍☠️🇺🇸🔱

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BigBlueBurd@reddit

Synchropters are my favorite whirlybirds.

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chuyalcien@reddit

I had to look up a video to figure out what’s going on with the rotors. Here it is for anyone else confused: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmgm-B5WKvs

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DefinitelyNotAMeanie@reddit

Pretty cool, why wasn't the type adopted in larger numbers?

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heyflyguy@reddit

It had a nasty tendancy when flying with a tailwind that made it very unstable. Human pilots avoid doing anything but flying into the wind and autonomy programs had lots of issues predicting wind direction in mountainous environments like Afghanistan where this was most needed for remote resupplies of FOBs.

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DeficiencyOfGravitas@reddit

It had a nasty tendancy when flying with a tailwind that made it very unstable

That's a nice feature common to all helos. Good for speed bad for lift.

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