Smiths Aerospace Awarded SH-60 Contract: Introduction of First HUMS Into Japan

Business Wire, June 16, 2003

Business Editors

Paris Air Show 2003

LE BOURGET, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 16, 2003

Smiths Aerospace has been awarded a contract to supply the Enhanced Flight Data Recorder (EFDR) for the SH-60K Seahawk Helicopter. The EFDR will be installed on all new production Japanese SH-60s beginning in August 2004. The initial contract is valued at more than $6M, with a potential production of more than $30M. Fifty (50) new production aircraft are included in the initial Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force plan and a further 50 aircraft production is anticipated. Future retrofit into the existing SH-60J and UH-60J fleet of more than 200 aircraft may extend this application.

The SH-60K EFDR represents the first introduction of Health Usage and Monitoring Systems (HUMS) into Japan. The system will be used to provide improved safety, reduced maintenance and operational cost, and enhanced aircraft readiness. It provides cockpit voice recorder (CVR), flight data recorder (FDR), digital data acquisition unit (DAU), rotor track and balance (RTB), vibration monitoring, engine monitoring structures monitoring and aircraft usage tracking. The Enhanced Flight Data Recorder is a derivative of the GenHUMS systems developed and flying in the UK on Chinook CH-47, SeaKing, Puma and Lynx helicopters. Smiths has aircraft monitoring systems installed on eleven (11) aircraft types in Japan. Smiths is the largest supplier of HUMS products in the world with more than 300 systems installed, over 1.5 million operational hours, and over 20 aircraft types.

Notes to Editors:

About the program: The SH-60 Seahawk is a maritime helicopter tasked for ocean surveillance, submarine detection and tracking, surface surveillance and fleet protection. It is built for the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (MSDF) by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nagoya, Japan under a cooperative arrangement with Sikorsky. Under the SH-60K EFDR Program, Kanto Aircraft Instrument will manufacture the HUMS equipment under license from Smiths and will provide local technical support. Final assembly and delivery will be from Kanto's facility in Fujisawa, Japan. Smiths has been working with Kanto for over 40 years. The Data Management Systems partnership with Kanto has proven very successful over the past 11 years, together capturing more than $200 million in data management business for Japan.

About Smiths: Smiths Aerospace is the leading transatlantic aerospace equipment company, with 12,000 staff and $2 billion revenue split equally between Europe and North America. Smiths Aerospace holds key positions in the supply chains on all major military and civil aircraft and engine manufacturers supplying integrated solutions. Strategically organized businesses focus on systems in electronics, actuation, detection, security, and marine, as well as precision components and customer services.