200 kg WLL · IP68 to 10 m · 600 m per charge · 100 m remote · Military / defense
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The KMA-ML is an electric, battery-powered rope ascender for military and defense use — a personal powered elevator that drives an operator up a fixed rope and brings them, a casualty or a load back down under control. Available in khaki or black.
Skyward supplies the KMA-ML-W1 in the Expansion package: ascender, two batteries, charger, 100 m remote controller and hard case. It carries a rated 200 kg (441 lb) working load — an operator in full kit, or a two-person extraction — ascends at 0–0.45 m/s (0–27 m/min) under infinitely variable throttle, and covers about 600 m of travel per charge.
IP68 is the top of the ingress scale, but the rating on its own means little: the standard lets the manufacturer state the depth and duration. Here it is 10 m for 5 hours — not splash resistance, but a full working day at operational diving depth. It is the highest sealing in the KMA range and a figure very few powered ascenders declare at all.
For comparison: the KMA-RS is IP67 (1 m / 5 h), the KMA-FG IP66 and the KMA-ND IP65. If your work is not in the water, one of those will cost you less.
The ML is built in three: the S1 runs fastest at 110 kg, the L1 sits in the middle at 170 kg, and the W1 carries 200 kg at 0.45 m/s. We stock the W1, because an operator in full kit, or a two-person extraction, is a capacity problem long before it is a speed problem. The S1 and L1 are available to order.
CE marked under the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, with an EC Type-Examination Certificate issued by a notified body — not a manufacturer self-declaration. Certificate ECM MD-B 2022-0T64, issued by ECM — Ente Certificazione Macchine srl (Notified Body 1282), covering the KMA range.
The examination was carried out under Annex IV, item 17: devices for the lifting of persons, or of persons and goods, involving a hazard of falling from a vertical height of more than three metres. That is the category the Machinery Directive reserves for machines that cannot be self-certified — the distinction that matters in a tender. Applied standards: EN ISO 12100:2010, EN 60204-1:2018, EN 14492-1:2006+A1:2009.
What this certification is not: it is a machinery certification, not a PPE certification. None of the applied standards is a fall-arrest standard. A powered ascender is a work device used on the working rope. It must always be rigged together with a separate backup fall-arrest device on an independent safety rope.
Built for amphibious and maritime access, tactical building and tower access, and casualty extraction on rope. We are set up to quote for defense and government buyers, including tender documentation.
| Applied standards | EN ISO 12100:2010, EN 60204-1:2018, EN 14492-1:2006+A1:2009 |
|---|---|
| Device | CE marked — Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC |
| Scope | Annex IV, item 17 — devices for the lifting of persons, or of persons and goods, involving a hazard of falling from more than 3 m |
| Type | Powered rope ascender — work/access device (not a fall arrester) |
| Type-examination | EC type-examination by ECM — Ente Certificazione Macchine srl (Notified Body 1282), certificate ECM MD-B 2022-0T64 |
| Ascent speed | 0–0.45 m/s (0–27 m/min), infinitely variable |
|---|---|
| Max load | 250 kg (551 lb) |
| Rated load (WLL) | 200 kg (441 lb) |
| Voyage per charge | ≈600 m (1,969 ft) of travel per charge |
| Battery | Li-ion 36 V / 10 Ah (≈360 Wh), attachable — Samsung SDI INR18650-25R cells |
|---|---|
| Battery life | ≈500 cycles |
| Charge time | ≈90 min |
| Remote control | 100 m — included in the Expansion package |
| Body material | Aluminum alloy |
|---|---|
| Colour | Khaki or Black |
| Dimensions (W×H×L) | 24 × 26 × 34 cm |
| Ingress protection | IP68 — rated submersible to 10 m for 5 hours |
| Operating temperature | −20 to +40 °C |
| Weight | 15.5 kg (34 lb) with battery · 12.1 kg (27 lb) body |
| Braking | Electromagnetic brake (electronic) + mechanical emergency brake |
|---|---|
| Descent | Throttle lever / electromagnetic (manual) + manual descent lever |
| Emergency stop | Mushroom-type switch |
| Application field | Military / defense |
|---|---|
| Model | KMA-ML-W1 |
| Other configurations | S1 (110 kg) and L1 (170 kg) available to order |
| Package | Expansion — ascender, 2× battery, charger, remote controller, case, shoulder strap, user manual |
Add the complements you need — each is added on its own.
Most powered ascenders are sealed against rain. This one is rated to go underwater and keep working.
The KMA-ML is a battery-powered rope ascender built for military and defense use. It drives an operator up a fixed rope under power and brings them, a casualty or a load back down under control. It is sealed to IP68 — rated submersible to 10 m for 5 hours, the highest sealing in the range and a figure very few powered ascenders declare at all.
Skyward supplies the KMA-ML-W1 in the Expansion package, in khaki or black: ascender, two batteries, charger, remote controller and hard case.
IP68 is the top of the ingress scale, but the rating on its own means little: the standard lets the manufacturer state the depth and duration. Here it is 10 m for 5 hours.
That is not splash resistance. It is a full working day at operational diving depth. Amphibious insertion, ship boarding from the water, a flooded structure, a surf-zone approach, a unit that goes in the water with the operator and comes out still working.
−20 °C to +40 °C. Below −20 °C, battery capacity drops and the published range does not hold — plan for it.
For comparison within the range: the KMA-RS is IP67 (1 m / 5 h), the KMA-FG IP66 and the KMA-ND IP65. If your work is not in the water, one of those will cost you less.
Three configurations, and we stock the one that carries the most. The ML is built in three: the S1 runs fastest at 110 kg, the L1 sits in the middle at 170 kg, and the W1 carries 200 kg at 0.45 m/s. Skyward stocks the W1, because an operator in full kit with weapon and equipment, or a two-person extraction, is a capacity problem long before it is a speed problem. The S1 and L1 are available to order.
A throttle lever on the body, variable from a crawl to full speed. Progressive, not on/off — you can creep the last half metre into position with a gloved hand.
Up to 100 m, included in the Expansion package. An operator on the ground raises or lowers a second operator, a casualty or a load without anyone reaching the unit.
Anchored at the top, the unit hauls and lowers a load on the rope below it.
Mounted on a tensioned line, it drives a load across instead of up.
Plus: a manual descent lever that brings you down with the power off, and a mushroom-head emergency stop on the body face.
Optional: a vibration function on the remote controller — the unit signals the operator through the armband instead of asking them to look at a screen. On a night operation, under noise, or where a lit screen is a liability, that is the difference between a control you can use and one you cannot.
The KMA-ML carries a service brake — electromagnetic, electronically controlled, which holds position the moment the throttle is released — and an independent mechanical emergency brake behind it.
The rule, and we will not soften it: a powered ascender is a work device that lives on the working rope. It is not a fall arrester and it is not certified as one. Every ascent must be rigged on a two-rope system: the KMA-ML on the working line, and a separate backup fall-arrest device on an independent safety line anchored separately.
If anyone sells you a powered ascender as fall protection, walk away from that supplier.
The KMA range carries CE marking under the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, with an EC Type-Examination Certificate issued by a notified body — not a manufacturer self-declaration.
Annex IV item 17 is the category the Machinery Directive reserves for machines that lift people where a fall of more than three metres is possible — the machines that cannot be self-certified. A notified body examined this type against that standard and issued a certificate. For a defense procurement office running a tender, that is the distinction that matters, and it is the one most suppliers cannot produce.
What this certification is not: it is a machinery certification, not a PPE certification. EN 14492-1 is the winch standard. None of the three applied standards is a fall-arrest standard. The KMA-ML is certified to lift a person safely; it is not certified to catch them. That is what the backup device on the safety line is for.
The Expansion package ships with two batteries. One is on the unit, one is on the charger. 90 minutes to full, roughly 500 charge cycles of service life, and a single pack covers 600 m of travel.
The pack is external and swaps in seconds.
Cells: Samsung SDI INR18650-25R lithium-ion. A named tier-one cell, not an unbranded pack.
Shipping note: this battery exceeds the 100 Wh air-freight threshold and ships as Class 9 dangerous goods (UN3481 when packed with the unit). We handle the paperwork; it affects transit time on international orders. Ask us before you commit to a date.
Not included: rope, harness, backup fall-arrest device, connectors. We supply all of these — ask and we will spec a complete kit around the unit.
The KMA is built on one platform and sealed to five different levels. The mechanism, controls and capacity are common; the environmental rating and finish are what change.
| Model | Built for | Ingress protection |
|---|---|---|
| KMA-ND | Industry | IP65 |
| KMA-FG | Fire service and government | IP66 |
| KMA-RS | Rescue | IP67 — rated to 1 m for 5 hours |
| KMA-ML | Military and defense | IP68 — submersible to 10 m for 5 hours |
We would rather move you down this range than sell you sealing you will never use. Tell us where the machine will actually be used.
Horizontal rescue configuration, with 1:1 and 2.5:1 gearing
See product →Carries the ascender, rope and kit to the anchor on your back
See product →The KMA-ML is a capital purchase and it has to fit the rest of your system — rope, anchors, and the way your unit already trains. Tell us what you need it to do and we will tell you whether the ML is the right unit, or whether one of the less heavily sealed models in the range does the job for less.
We are set up to quote for defense and government buyers, including tender documentation.
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