DTN News: Camber Corporation Announces First Flight of the Modified T-1A Combat Systems Officer (CSO) Aircraft

DTN News: Camber Corporation Announces First Flight of the Modified T-1A Combat Systems Officer (CSO) Aircraft Source: DTN News / Camber Corporation (NSI News Source Info) HUNTSVILLE, Ala.,- April 22, 2010: Camber Corporation announced today that the T-1A aircraft with the modification to support CSO training had its first flight today, April 21, 2010. The aircraft took off at 11:16 Eastern Standard Time from Dayton International Airport and flew for 1 hour and 55 minutes. The purpose of the flight was to confirm operation of basic aircraft systems in preparation for future test flights which will concentrate on the newly added CSO training systems. The T-1A Jayhawk is a medium-range, twin-engine jet trainer, a version of the Beech 400A. It is was the first new training aircraft procured by the Air Force in 30 years. The first aircraft was delivered to Reese Air Force Base, Texas in January 1992. It is used to train student pilots to fly airlift or tanker aircraft. Student training in the T-1A began at Reese in 1993. The Jayhawk has cockpit seating for an instructor and two students and is powered by twin turbofan engines capable of an operating speed of Mach .73. The T-1A differs from its commercial counterpart by having a single-point refueling system and increased bird strike protection in the windshield and leading edges for sustained low-level operation. The T-1A is used at all undergraduate pilot training bases: Columbus AFB, Miss.; Laughlin AFB, Texas; and Vance AFB, Okla. It is also used at Randolph AFB, Texas, to train instructor pilots. "I want to congratulate the Camber Team on a job well done! Camber, Stevens Aviation and Government personnel have worked well together. After a fast-paced year of system design, design reviews, and aircraft modifications, the first T-1A CSO aircraft completed its first flight today. We are excited about the first flight and look forward to the installation of the completed CSO software onto the aircraft so that we can test the CSO Training System," said Albert Ojeda, USAF Program Manager. The T-1A CSO Modification contract was awarded to Camber on March 31, 2009 and the aircraft have been upgraded with a suite of simulated sensors (Radar, Radar Warning Receiver, Electronic Support Measures), countermeasures (flares, chaff), and weapon systems for two students in order to support CSO training. Provisions for two instructors are also provided, allowing them to oversee the student actions, and insert tactical and weather scenarios into the simulated environment. A debrief capability is also included and allow instructors to review the flight with the student in a classroom or office environment. The modified T-1A aircraft with the CSO training station is part of the USAF's Air Education and Training Command (AETC) redesign of the current Navigator, Electronic Warfare Officer, and Weapon System Officer training pipeline in order to produce aviator's skilled in advance navigation systems, electronic warfare, weapons deployment, and able to operate the complex systems critical to the Air Force mission. "The successful, on schedule, initial flight paves the way for formal testing and the installation of the training system at Naval Air Station Pensacola," said Mike Pafford, Camber T-1A Program Manager. Camber is teamed with Stevens Aviation, a leading aviation services company, who modified the T-1A aircraft at their facility in Dayton, OH, from where the modified T-1A aircraft was launched last week. According to Ron Tennyson, Stevens Aviation Program Manager, the aircraft has been fitted with an Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast system that provides the training system with air traffic information and aircraft to aircraft data that can be used for air to air training missions. Camber Corporation has its corporate headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.A. Camber is a pioneer in the development of innovative training and simulation solutions for military and civil flight simulation and mission trainers. The Sensor Systems Division that is based in Dallas, Texas has been providing simulated sensor systems since 1985 and supports over 200 radar simulation systems worldwide. Their market leading Commercial-Off-the-Shelf Radar Toolkit® product serves as the basis for their reliable and cost efficient radar simulations.