Ann: World-First Military Helicopter In-flight Pilot Programme, page-2

Structural Monitoring Systems plc (“SMS”) (ASX:SMN) is pleased to provide an important update concerning a pivotal “pilot” programme (“the Programme”) involving the installation of SMN’s CVMTM sensors on military Apache AH-64 attack helicopters being operated by one of the world’s sovereign defence forces. SMS has partnered with a third party providing an optimal platform with which to install, assess and progress the expanded use of CVMTM across the full helicopter fleet. Further, specific Programme details may be provided in the coming weeks, but only if the necessary approvals from the Programme partners for release of sensitive information to the public become available.
The Programme does, however, involve an application with a very high suitability and practicality for CVMTM. The “pilot” phase of the Programme will see sensors installed on one or two test Apache rotor-craft – following which an evaluation period, anticipated to be 8-12 weeks, will be employed to assess the data provided by the installed sensors monitoring the application area. Subsequently, the ultimate objective of the Programme is to have CVMTM sensors installed across the entire fleet, to monitor this “hot spot” area, and dramatically reduce inspection time and costs (both of which are very material)has a very frequent inspection requirement involving considerable man-hours and an extremely intrusive “dismantling” process to gain access for visual inspection. CVMTM has the potential to play an extremely valuable role in materially impacting the commercial issues associated with the Programme application. Currently, there are over 2,000 Apache AH-64 helicopters in operation deployed by major defence forces all over the world.
To support this Programme, SMS and our manufacturing/engineering partner, AEM, developed a cutting- edge, highly innovative sensor design to monitor the application area. The sensor, a first for SMS/AEM engineers, will be installed in a 90 degree corner of a bracket to monitor cracking on the two adjacent faces of that bracket. The space surrounding the monitored area was very tight, and adjacent faces on the bracket made prepositioning of the sensor difficult. To address this, AEM designed a specialised sensor that installs as four separate components – this sensor has now been fully developed, tested and approved for use.