Meggitt PLC, a leading international company specialising in high performance components and sub-systems for the aerospace, defence and energy markets, announces that Meggitt Sensing Systems has been selected by Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc company, to provide gearbox oil level monitoring and chip detection systems for the new 525 Relentless commercial super-medium helicopter. Meggitt estimates that the agreements will generate gross sales of more than $30 million over the production life of this helicopter, including original equipment, spares and repairs.

The automated lubrication monitoring package for the Bell 525 Relentless marks the first application of Meggitt's advanced fluid gauging system to monitor aircraft gearbox oil levels. The company's patented level detection technology, developed and proven in fuel level gauging applications, has been re-engineered for oil level gauging. Compared with traditional pre-flight sight-glass (manual) checks of oil level, the new technology will save aircraft operators time and reduce the potential for human error. Trending oil level data over the life of the aircraft and monitoring oil for unwanted debris with the Auto-Fault® chip detection system will provide operators with information about the health of the aircraft, enabling higher utilisation and availability.