13 November 2002

Smiths provides integrity monitoring technology

Grand Rapids, MI – Smiths Aerospace has been selected to provide an integrated Health and Usage Management System and Flight Operations and Quality Assurance for MH-47 Chinook helicopters. The contract is valued for more than $3 million to demonstrate the Maintenance, Analysis, Safety, and Training (MAST) program to the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

About the integrated HUMS

Smiths integrated system incorporates an Aircraft Integrity Monitoring Unit that expands the Voice & Data Recorder (VADRâ) currently installed on the MH-47 with automatic on-board Rotor Track and Balance, usage monitoring, exceedance detection, and vibration monitoring capabilities. The MAST system also incorporates specialized ground software that enhances safety and training through: 1) graphical replay of flight data taken from the VADR enabling accident / incident investigation, post-flight debriefings and event visualizations; and 2) introduction of a flight operations quality assurance program based on commercially proven implementations. Smiths will initially provide systems for two MH-47 Chinook helicopters in the 2nd quarter of 2003, with options for additional systems.

About Smiths Aerospace

Smiths Aerospace is the world’s leader in HUMS technology with over 1,000,000 flight hours on over 350 different applications. The MAST program capitalizes on the technology in Smiths proven 'single box’ HUMS product to provide a modular solution for customer’s that already have cockpit voice and flight data recor