Meggitt Sensing Systems has been awarded a $48m contract for a Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) from Guangzhou Hangxin Avionics Co Ltd (Hangxin), a engineering and maintenance organisation, for the Avicopter AC313/SJ and AC352 helicopters.

The programme lifetime contract covers the design, development and delivery of on-board hardware – vibration sensors, data acquisition and processing electronics – and ground station software for detailed data analysis and after sales support.

HUMS helps flight crew and maintenance staff monitor the health of engines, cabin, drive train and rotor gearboxes to minimise cabin vibration and detect impending failures. The system plays a critical role in promoting effective operating economics, the key to which is predictable and therefore cost-effective maintenance.

The Avicopter SJ is the firefighter version of the three-engine, 13-ton class AC313, the heaviest helicopter developed in China. The AC352 is the Chinese version of the twin-engine, multi-purpose EC175 helicopter developed jointly by AVIC (the Aviation Industry Corporation of China) and Airbus Helicopters.

Deliveries start in 2019. Sales of up to 500 units of each platform have been forecast over the next 20 years.