Calspan to modify Saab 340 for US Navy Test Pilot
Calspan Corporation's Flight Research Group has won a $5.6 million contract with the US Navy to modify a Saab 340 for training students at the US Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, MD.
2009-11-12 | News in short
10/30/2009 - The Saab 340, Serial Number 102, will be modified with specialized sensor equipment and a simulation cockpit at Calspan's Niagara Falls, NY location with about 10 employees dedicated to the new airborne systems training and research support project. Modifications to the turboprop, which include swapping out the nose of the Saab 340 with that of an F-16 fighter jet, are scheduled to be completed by January 2010. The $5.6 million contract also includes three years of Calspan-supported operations.
Pilots and engineers will be trained on the Saab 340 to evaluate integrated airborne sensor systems, and the aircraft will be deployed at the Patuxent River-based US Naval Test Pilot School for about 40 weeks per year. Every six months, the aircraft will return to Calspan's Niagara Falls hangar for maintenance and inspection.
Image: Saab 340, Serial Number 102, will be modified with specialized sensor equipment and a simulation cockpit at Calspan's Niagara Falls, NY base for training students at the US Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, MD.