GE Aviation has been awarded two contracts from Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to provide the Integrated Vehicle Health Management technology and service for the G650 business jet aircraft.

"This is one of the first comprehensive health management systems for a civil airplane and a first for business jets," said Lorraine Bolsinger, president and CEO of GE Aviation Systems. "We are thrilled to be launching this new product and service with Gulfstream. Gulfstream is a leader in the business jet market by introducing new technology, innovation and best-in-class product support. The IVHM technology will clearly be a differentiator for the G650 in the marketplace."

GE's Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) technology will power Gulfstream's PlaneConnectHTM(TM) Health & Trend Monitoring system. The system continuously manages and analyzes data throughout the flight creating a comprehensive set of health information for the engines, avionics, power, cabin and other aircraft systems. Wireless connectivity links every aircraft to a Ground Services Network (GSN) providing a web-based service that delivers a real time picture of aircraft health for Gulfstream and the operator to access 24/7 from anywhere in the world. The system is seamlessly integrated with Gulfstream's product support to enable unprecedented capability to enhance dispatch reliability and availability -- a hallmark of Gulfstream's customer service orientation.

GE has also developed a cutting edge technology with prognostics capabilities that will become the future of health management in business and general aviation. The system leverages GE's extensive experience in aircraft health diagnostics and prognostic analytics.

The G650 entry-into-service is anticipated for 2012. The system is provided from GE facilities in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Southampton, UK.

The IVHM technology dates back to 1991 when GE developed the world's first certified Health and Usage Monitoring System, HUMS, for helicopters. GE has recorded and analyzed in excess of 2 million flight hours of data from more than 500 military and commercial helicopters.