Waterbury, VT (February 7, 2023) – GPMS International, which provides the helicopter industry’s most advanced Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) known as Foresight MX, announced today that it has received an FAA Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the UH-60A Black Hawk platform. The company worked closely with PJ Helicopters during the STC process, where they will benefit from becoming the first Black Hawk operator to utilize Foresight MX’s advanced capabilities.
Todd Powers, GPMS VP of Sales, explains that this is a significant certification for GPMS as it continues to expand its coverage and capabilities to new platforms. “Platforms like the UH-60 have a long and storied career in transporting troops and equipment around the world,” he said. “Typically, the older variants either weren’t equipped with HUMS or had equipment that weighed over a hundred pounds. Our co-founder and 2023 Helicopter Association International’s Salute to Excellence Safety Award winner, Dr. Eric Bechhoefer, helped designed some of these original systems, which have proven to be very successful. In fact, the US Army recently reported that it avoided $215 million in UH-60 costs over a six-year period because of HUMS.”
Powers continues, “However, military aircraft are typically stripped of accessories through divestiture because of ITAR, obsolescence, and weight concerns. With Dr. Bechhoefer’s leadership and with the help of the team at PJ Helicopters, UH-60 operators now have an STC’d, next-generation, predictive HUMS, Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) and optimized Rotor Track & Balance (RTB) solution – at an installed weight of under 17 lbs. and at a third of the cost.”
PJ Helicopters’ Director of Operations, David McCammon, “Lives and homes are at stake during fire season and our customers, friends, and family depend on us. Our 11 UH-60As are extremely capable machines, and their ability to assist in controlling fires is only limited by their availability. With Foresight MX, we have a HUMS solution that meets MATOC requirements, lowers our DOCs, and will help keep these aircraft in the air.”
McCammon explains that one of the most challenging parts of managing a large mixed fleet, including divested military aircraft, is acquiring the replacement parts. “Supply chain issues can be very challenging, so gaining the capability to understand the true condition and health of our components is vital. Foresight MX provides us that visibility, with the bonus of having predictive remaining useful life for our components. With Foresight, we can better forecast our inventory needs, align maintenance planning, and reduce unscheduled maintenance and AOG events.”
McCammon went on to say that his team is excited about the multi-model and multi-OEM capability Foresight MX brings. “We have seven different models across four different OEMs. Traditional OEM-based HUMS solutions would only allow us to see a portion of our fleet at a time. Now, I can see the health of our Foresight-equipped fleet anywhere, anytime, and even on my phone.”
About GPMS International, Inc.
Foresight MX by GPMS offers a next-generation, predictive Health and Usage Monitoring System that goes beyond HUMS. Foresight MX is designed to give equipment operators the power to “Know it before it matters” providing Machine Condition Monitoring, optimized Rotor Track and Balance, and Fleet Data with Exceedance Monitoring in one powerful system. Fully predictive, Foresight MX offers insights needed to optimize maintenance, safety, and operations. GPMS has re-engineered the HUMS category to put its advantages within reach of every operator, making all platforms smarter and more connected.
GPMS already has STCs for Foresight MX on a range of helicopter platforms including the Bell 407, Bell 429, Bell 412/212, MD530F, Airbus H125/AS350 B3, and the UH-60A (Black Hawk). The company has also completed the system for the Mi-8/17/171 Series helicopters and expects STC’s for various other models like the H135 and the AS350 B2 soon.
To learn why today’s fleets depend on Foresight MX, visit https://www.gpms-vt.com. Follow us on LinkedIn.
For more information, please contact:
Ronnie Ries: ronnie@gpms-vt.com
