Farnborough, UK. 18 July 2022. Helitune, a condition monitoring technologies firm, has joined a
number of other UK companies as part of Team AW149 UK. Helitune joins more than 70 companies
from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that form the onshore Team AW149 UK supply
chain for Leonardo’s latest-generation military AW149 helicopter, which is being put forward for the
UK’s New Medium Helicopter requirement.
Leonardo and Helitune have been working together for more than two decades across the OEMs
platforms. Helitune has a proven track record within the arena of vibration health monitoring
solutions and specialises in the design and manufacture of electronic systems for rotor track and
balance (RTB).
The optical rotor tracking device “RT-TipTrak” of Helitune spans the Leonardo helicopters portfolio
from the AW149, AW189, AW139 to the AW169. The RT-TipTrak cutting-edge technology monitors
the individual blade heights and spacing to milimetre precision during flight, enabling the reduction
of vibration, minimising stress and strain on the airframe.
Michael Morrisroe, Head of UK Campaigns at Leonardo Helicopters, commented: “We are delighted
to welcome Helitune to Team AW149 UK. The company is important to the South West region and
only adds further credibility to our military AW149 for the UK’s New Medium Helicopter
requirement.”
Raf Lobato, CEO of CMTG, said: “Helitune has been working in collaboration with Leonardo
Helicopters for over 25 years and, as a UK Company, we are delighted to be able to continue to
support them as they look to develop their onshore supply chain for the AW149 helicopter.”
Peter Morrish, CMTG’s Technology and Customer Support Manager, commented: “Helitune is proud
to support Team AW149 UK. We have worked in close collaboration with Leonardo in Yeovil and
Cascina Costa to develop our imaging and vibration sensor technologies, that now form an integral
part of the Leonardo helicopter Health and Usage Monitoring Systems – which enhance aircraft
availability and reduce through-life support costs.”
Each Team AW149 UK member provides a vital component to the existing AW149 platform, from
lights to avionics systems and other hardware and software components.