Camber Entertainment is flying high on the back of a £355,000 (500,000 US dollars) deal to build a mobile flight simulator for the United States Navy (USN).

It is the second order from the USN, following the success of a first Camber-built simulator used for a recruitment programme over the past 18 months.

The Crawley-based business will design, build, theme and commission the 60-foot, 18-wheel rig, which will tour major air shows and similar events across America.

The simulator will be built entirely in the UK and be delivered next spring.

Its predecessor gave potential recruits a simulated flight with the USN's Blue Angels aerobatic team. The new version will feature aircraft carrier operations, including a fast jet take off and landing.

Managing director Paul Spence said he was delighted by the success of the units.

He said: "Mobile simulators combine a truly immersive entertainment or educational experience with very high billboard value, both at events and during transit on the road."

Camber Entertainment was set up in 1996 with the backing of US technology giant Camber Corporation.

Its customers include London Zoo, The Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum, NASA Astronaut Hall of Fame, Eurofighter and Opel.

In recent weeks, Camber has received two more orders for its eight-seat Morphis ESP simulators, bringing the total number of orders to 28 units since its launch in late-1999 and making it one of the best- selling capsule simulators.

Camber's joint venture with Japanese industrial giant Hitachi, announced earlier this year, went live last month.

Hitachi is sub-contracted to distribute ride films from Camber's library of more than 120 titles to simulator operators in Japan using satellite technology.

Camber has exclusive rights to the technology in Europe and North America and anticipates launching similar systems in these markets early next year.

www.camber.co.uk