Pilot Breathing Sensors Selected by USAF for Evaluation on T-6 Training Flights

Cobham Mission Systems’ VigilOX™ pilot breathing sensors have been selected by the U.S. Air Force to be evaluated on T-6 test flights as a first phase of the service’s Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Try-Decide-Buy (TDB) contract.

VigilOX pilot-worn sensors capture comprehensive, real-time respiratory and cabin environmental data during flight to provide insight into the performance of both the aircraft system and pilot breathing. Data includes the oxygen concentration, flow rate, mask pressure, and cabin temperature, pressure and acceleration. If the evaluation of VigilOX is successful in the Try-Decide-Buy phase of the contract, the Air Force will procure a larger quantity of VigilOX sensors for use on T-6 training flights. The contract award is in support of the Sensors for T-6 Oxygen and Physiological Systems (STOPS) program.

“Being selected for evaluation by the Air Force is a reflection of the quality and trust in our comprehensive VigilOX sensor technology, as well as our team’s total commitment to protecting the warfighter,” said Rob Schaeffer, product director for Environmental Systems at Cobham Mission Systems.  “VigilOX data will be analyzed post-flight to help understand the root cause of unexplained physiological events (UPEs) that have occurred on T-6 aircraft. This understanding will lead to better protection of the pilot.”

VigilOX has successfully completed evaluation by NAVAIR on F-18 and T-45 aircraft and has aided NAVAIR in closing out root cause and corrective action fault tree branches. The pilot sensors are also being flown by an international user group and have been used in a NASA pilot breathing study to better understand how flight conditions can impact a pilot’s breathing during high-performance aircraft flights.

Sera Star Systems (S3), a federal procurement solutions company approved to bid on the Air Force contract, is supplying VigilOX for this application. Should VigilOX be selected for future procurement, Sera Star will solicit a proposal from Cobham Mission Systems to supply follow up sensor hardware for the T-6 training flights.