Honeywell Aerospace has secured a fleetwide avionics upgrade programme with Omni Taxi Aereo, which will equip all 33 of the operator’s Leonardo AW139 helicopters with the IntuVue RDR-7000 Weather Radar System.
The upgrade enhances Omni’s operational safety and reliability across offshore missions by providing pilots with advanced weather detection and turbulence prediction capabilities. Omni operates a global fleet of approximately 88 helicopters, with the AW139 forming a significant part of its offshore operations.
According to Honeywell, the IntuVue RDR-7000 uses three-dimensional volumetric scanning to detect hazardous weather conditions, including turbulence, wind shear, hail and lightning, while providing pilots with a real-time view of weather along the planned flight path. Independent testing indicates the system can predict turbulence with up to 93% accuracy and reduce turbulence-related incidents by more than 50%.
The fleetwide installation reflects Omni’s strategy of standardising advanced safety technologies across its AW139 fleet rather than limiting upgrades to selected aircraft.
“Safety is the foundation of everything we do at Omni, and that starts with giving our pilots the clearest possible picture of what’s ahead,” said Roberto Coimbra, CEO of Omni Taxi Aereo. He added, “Upgrading our entire AW139 fleet with Honeywell Aerospace’s radar technology is an investment in our crews, our passengers and the long-term reliability of our operations.”
Honeywell said the radar system continuously scans the atmosphere without requiring pilots to manually adjust radar settings during flight, reducing cockpit workload during demanding offshore operations. The system also supports over-the-air software updates, allowing operators to introduce new capabilities without removing aircraft from service for extended periods.
For operators conducting time-sensitive offshore transport missions, the technology is expected to improve aircraft availability by reducing weather-related disruptions while supporting more predictable maintenance planning through remote software upgrades.
The RDR-7000 can distinguish weather systems positioned behind nearer storm cells, providing crews with enhanced situational awareness compared with conventional weather radar systems. Under favourable operating conditions, the radar offers a detection range of up to 320 nautical miles, although actual performance varies depending on weather conditions and aircraft altitude.
“When it comes to offshore helicopter operations, it’s about giving pilots better information, sooner,” said Jose Vincius, Senior Regional Sales Manager at Honeywell Aerospace. “Omni’s decision to upgrade its entire AW139 fleet is a strong vote of confidence in what this technology can do for pilot situational awareness, mission reliability and the safety of everyone on board”, he further concluded.
The programme highlights the growing adoption of advanced avionics technologies within the rotorcraft sector, where enhanced weather awareness, predictive capabilities and connected aircraft systems are playing an increasingly important role in improving operational safety and mission efficiency.
