13 June 2005

The Health and Usage Monitoring System will provide the capability to acquire, store and process aircraft structural, engine, drive train, electrical and voice data. A crash survivable cockpit voice and flight data recorder will further aide aircraft incident prevention and investigation.

Commenting on the demonstration phase, Marc Brodeur, marketing manager with Smiths Aerospace explained, "Data collected by the system will be used for maintenance, history, performance trending, aircraft monitoring, training and accident investigations. The demonstration will be used to develop and demonstrate reduction of Operations and Support costs, enhanced force protection, accelerated flow of accurate information and improved maintainability."

Smiths Aerospace has health and usage monitoring systems fielded on more than twenty helicopter types and has in excess of 1.5 million flight hours. In addition to the HUMS, Smiths supplies the following systems on various H-60 models:

• Voice and Data Recorders, Rotor Analysis and Diagnostic Systems, Rocket Interface Units, Ethernet Switching Hub (Michigan)

• Health & Usage Monitors (Southampton, UK)

• AFCS/ Module/ Fuel Management Panels (New York)

• Interference Blanker Units (Florida)

• APU Generators (Ohio)

• Data Transfer Systems, Common Cockpit Keyset (Maryland)

• Coax Cables (Times Microwave, Connecticut)

• Landing Gear, center console & step (California)

• Automatic Blade Fold Actuation (New Jersey)

Note to editors:

About the UH-60L Black Hawk:

Produced by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, based in Stratford, Connecticut, the UH-60 was made to transport soldiers into combat. More than 1,500 Army Black Hawks are now serve with active duty, Reserve and National Guard units around the world. Black Hawks provide the platform for a wide range of derivatives, including EH-60A electronic warfare aircraft, MH-60K Special Operations aircraft, the VH-60 executive transport helicopter, the U.S. Air Force's HH-60G Pave Hawk, the U.S. Navy's SeaHawk family of helicopters and the U.S. Coast Guard's HH-60J JayHawk for search and rescue.

About Smiths Aerospace

Smiths Aerospace is a leading transatlantic aerospace equipment and systems company, with more than 10,000 employees and nearly $2 billion sales split between Europe and North America. Smiths Aerospace, a part of Smiths Group plc, holds key positions in the supply chains of all major military and civil aircraft, helicopter and engine manufacturers and is a world-leader in digital, electrical and mechanical systems, engine components and Systems Customer Services. www.geaviationsystems.com