Thales Avionics has signed a cooperation contract with the South African firm AMS (Aerospace Monitoring and Systems (Pty) Ltd) for the development of the vehicle management module (VMM) on A109-LUH helicopters.

This contract is part of the offset agreement signed in April 2000 by Agusta and Armscor (the South African defence ministry) concerning the sale of thirty A109-LUH helicopters, along with ten options.

AMS is responsible for hardware and software development, as well as validation of the module, while Thales Avionics will supply both the initial specifications and the development methodology. The contract provides for the development of ten prototypes by the end of 2002, 60 production-standard modules to be delivered by the end of 2004.

Part of the Thales avionics suite chosen for the A109-LUH in September 2000, the VMM handles three main functions :

• Engine management.
• Health Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) management.
• Integrated Maintenance of the avionics system.

AMS was created in 1984 to deliver high-tech solutions for both defence and commercial customers, in South Africa as well as in export markets.

Thales Avionics, the European leader and world-renowned partner in avionics and cabin electronics, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of THALES, a world leader in professional electronics for civil and defence markets.

For more information on this company

AMS - Aerospace Monitoring and Systems (Pty) Ltd - Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS)

With acknowledgements to the Airforce Technology Website.