Wireless health and usage monitoring systems (HUMS) are flying in four U.S. military rotorcraft on an experimental basis. If the system proves successful, it could one day be standard equipment on all military and civilian helicopters for a price that is an estimated 90 percent less than current wired systems, which cost up to $200,000 each.Past success with wired systems used to measure structural loading on Navy F-18 fighters suggest that a wireless HUMS could double an aircraft’s useful life and provide significant ongoing maintenance and operational cost savings. It also could be used as a training tool for pilots and to report an aircraft’s condition, including exceedances, in real time to an operations center.
The premise is simple, said Steve Arms, president of MicroStrain, the Williston, Vt. company that has developed the technology. “You can extend the life of rotating parts if you track them more accurately.”
