This is good ...

Any of our vets here who've ever choppered (or fixed-winged) into a hot LZ on SAR, in/exfilt, or resupply ops know the "pleasure" of having rounds penetrating the fuselage of the aircraft or the danger of some idiot with an RPG getting a lucky shot during landing or takeoff and making your day go to shit in a hurry. Well, for all of us who've been there, the Army's got the goods:

Kaman Aerospace Corporation and the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) recently made aviation history with the Unmanned K-MAX helicopter by successfully completing multiple guided airdrops via sling load at 10,000 ft above sea level.

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"These airdrops prove K-MAX's ability to provide a safe, low-cost supply delivery method to the troops," said Terry Fogarty, general manager of Kaman's Unmanned Aircraft Systems product group. "The aircraft's ability to successfully perform high altitude missions contributes to the flexibility and security we can offer the Marines with K-MAX."

Kaman and industry partner Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE: LMT] are developing Unmanned K-MAX to meet an urgent U.S. Marine Corps requirement for cargo unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Lockheed Martin has designed the helicopter's mission management and control systems to provide the K-MAX with exceptional flight autonomy in remote environments and over long distances.

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The big difference would be in resupply (not putting lives on the line to bring cargo to a FOB, whether by air or road) but I can see them using it for SAR behind enemy lines to extract downed airmen or wounded. I'd rather see a drone do this type of work than hunting goat fuckers with Hellfire missiles.