During the early 2010s, a pair of unmanned K-Maxes underwent an extended battlefield evaluation as a cargo UAV, for which purpose they were deployed to provide logistics support to United States Marine Corps (USMC) ground forces during the war in Afghanistan.

The initial production run of the K-MAX ran between 1991 and 2003, at which point the line was shuttered after the completion of 38 helicopters due to low customer demand.

[1] During May 2017, the first flight of a K-MAX built on the restarted production line took place; two months later, the first new-build aircraft since 2003 was delivered to a customer based in China.

At the same time, the synchropter is more responsive to pilot control inputs, making it possible to easily swing a load, or to scatter seed, chemicals, or water over a larger area.

[3] The rotor blades (which turn in opposite directions[6] at 250—270 rpm) are built with a Sitka spruce wooden spar and Nomex fiberglass trailing edge sections.

[3] Wood was chosen for its damage tolerance and fatigue resistance; and to take advantage of field experience and qualification data amassed from a similar spar on the HH-43 Huskie helicopter, built for the U.S. Air Force in the 1950s and 1960s.

During March 2007, Kaman and Lockheed Martin (Team K-MAX) signed a Strategic Relationship Agreement (SRA) to jointly pursue U.S. DoD opportunities.

[17] In December 2010, the Naval Air Systems Command awarded a $46 million contract to Kaman for two aircraft,[18] and, in 2011, they completed a five-day Quick Reaction Assessment.

[19] At the 2013 Paris Air Show, Kaman promoted the unmanned K-MAX to foreign buyers, the company claimed that several countries had expressed interest in the system.

[23] During February 2014, Kaman stated that it was looking into resuming K-MAX production, having recently received over 20 inquiries for firefighting, logging and industry transport requirements as well as requests for the military unmanned version.

[35] Building on a three-year autonomy experiment in Afghanistan with the US Marine Corps,[36][37] Kaman was at one point pursuing development of the K-Max Titan, an optionally piloted variant intended for commercial customers to fly into dangerous zones like wildfires or natural disasters, and for long operation with no pilot rest; it was claimed to be suitable for operating for up to 100 flight hours before requiring any mandatory inspections.

[46] By February 2013, the K-MAX had delivered two million pounds (910 metric tons) of cargo across 600 unmanned missions, during which in excess of 700 flight hours had been recorded.

At the time of the announcement, they had flown over 1,000 missions and hauled over three million pounds (1,400 metric tons) of supplies; assessments for their use after the deployment were also being studied.

[49] The unmanned K-MAX has won awards from Popular Science and Aviation Week & Space Technology,[50] and was nominated for the 2012 Collier Trophy.

No injuries occurred, the subsequent accident investigation ruled out both pilot error and mechanical issue,[52] the rotorcraft having been flying autonomously towards a predetermined point and performing during the final stages of cargo delivery at the time.

[53] Operational flights of the remaining unmanned K-MAX were suspended following the crash, the Navy stating at that time that it could resume flying by late August.

While the equipment entered storage, the service contemplated the possibility of turning the unmanned K-MAX from a proof-of-concept project into a program of record.

Formal requirements for unmanned aerial cargo delivery are being written to address expected future threats, including electronic attack, cyber warfare, and effective hostile fire; these were avoided in Afghanistan quickly and cheaply by flying at night at high altitudes against an enemy with no signal degradation capabilities.

[60] The two unmanned K-MAXs, designated CQ-24A, were to be moved to a Marine Corps base in Arizona by the end of September 2015 to develop tactics and operations concepts to inform an official program of record for a cargo UAV.

[62][63] In March 2015, a casualty evacuation exercise was performed in coordination with an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and mission planning system.

[64] A medic launched the UGV to evaluate the casualty, used a tablet to call in and automatically land the K-MAX, then strapped a mannequin to a seat aboard the helicopter.