A wide variety of applications of imaging spectrometer have been proved using data from airborne systems. The Compact Airborne Imaging Spectrometer System (CAISS) was jointly designed and developed as the airborne hyperspectral imaging system by Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) and ELOP inc., Israel. The primary mission of the CAISS is to acquire and provide full contiguous spectral information with high spatial resolution for advanced applications in the field of remote sensing. The CAISS consists of six physical units; the camera system, the gyro-stabilized mount, the jig, the GPS/INS, the power inverter and distributor, and the operating system. These subsystems are to be tested and verified in the laboratory before the flight. Especially the camera system of the CAISS has to be calibrated and validated with the calibration equipments such as the integrating sphere and spectral lamps. To improve data quality and its availability, it is the most important to understand the mechanism of imaging spectrometer system and the radiometric and spectral characteristics. The several performance tests of the CAISS were conducted in the camera system level. This paper presents the major characteristics of the CAISS, and summarizes the results of performance tests in the camera system level.