GE Aerospace to Launch Next-Gen Rotor Analysis Diagnostic System

GE Aerospace announced it will begin testing the next generation Rotor Analysis Diagnostic System (RADS) for civil and military operators. The RADS-NG (next generation) will reduce pilot time and save fuel by enabling operators to complete rotor track and balance operations and diagnostics in fewer flights.

“The upgraded Rotor Analysis Diagnostic System allows operators the ability to complete their rotor track and balance operations and diagnostics in fewer flights while significantly reducing flight and pilot time and saving fuel,” says Steve Schoonveld, Product Director of Connected Aircraft, GE Aerospace.

The RADS-NG will replace the RADS-AT (advanced technology) and the RADS-AVA (aviation vibration analyzer) as GE Aerospace’s portable vibration diagnostics solution for helicopters where permanent installation is not practical or to supplement existing systems, the company says. Testing on major OEM rotorcraft will begin in 2Q23 with procurement to start in 4Q23.

The new RADS “builds on more than 30 years of reliability as the original Rotor Track and Balance (RT&B) solution with the flexibility to service all major helicopter models with a faster, easier-to-use interface,” says GE Aerospace. As the industry standard for RT&B and standard equipment for the US Army and the UK Navy, one RADS-NG unit can support an entire fleet.

About 5,000 RADS units have been supplied in civil and military rotorcraft like the Airbus H125 (Eurocopter AS350), the Bell 412, the Boeing CH-47, the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, Leonardo AW139 and over 200 other vehicle types and variants. The system also offers fixed-wing vibration diagnostics for aircraft such as the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, says the company.

Demonstrations of the new system are currently taking place with deliveries anticipated in 4Q23, says GE Aerospace.

GE has been an essential player in the aviation industry for over 100 years. In December 2022, GE’s board of directors approved the spin-off of the company and renamed it GE Aerospace, which has become an aviation-focused company. GE Aerospace is a world-leading provider of jet engines, components, avionics and electrical power systems for commercial and military aircraft.

The company has a global service network to support its offering. GE Aerospace’s footprint in Mexico includes manufacturing facilities, service centers and sales offices. One of its major facilities in the country is in Queretaro, where GE manufactures a variety of aviation components, such as fuel nozzles, blades and vanes. This facility also provides MRO services for commercial and military engines.