Fenster schließen  |  Fenster drucken

Cubic Hands Over World`s Most Sophisticated Combat Training System to U.K.`s British Army Training Unit, Suffield Contract Includes Two Years of O&M Support with Options for an Additional 13 Years


SAN DIEGO, Jul 22, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The defense segment of Cubic Corp.
(AMEX: CUB) has officially handed over the new Area Weapons Effect Simulator
(AWES) -- the world`s most capable land-based combat training system -- to the
British Army Training Unit at Suffield (BATUS) in Alberta, Canada.

AWES creates the best-ever simulation of a real battle at the British Army`s
BATUS training area in Canada and the U.K.-based Salisbury Plain Training Area.
Cubic Defense Applications handed over the U.K. portion of AWES to the British
Army last December.

AWES gives the British Army its first objective means of measuring troops`
performance during large-scale military exercises. The enhanced Tactical
Engagement Simulation (TES) system accurately tracks, monitors and records the
actions of individual soldiers and combat vehicles for post-mission analysis.
The training realism for both direct and indirect fire far surpasses anything
that has been developed.

"AWES represents a quantum leap for land combat training and serves as a model
for future large-scale training systems," said Gerald Dinkel, president and CEO
of the Cubic Defense Applications (CDA) group. "We are extremely proud to
deliver a system of this caliber to the British Army. We also look forward to
supporting the evolving requirements for AWES for years to come."

Cubic developed, installed and delivered AWES under contracts totaling $130
million that were awarded in 1998. The contracts include two years of operations
and maintenance support, beginning immediately following the handover, with
options for an additional 13 years.

AWES is designed to support joint, combined arms training missions that also
include fixed wing and rotary wing components and is easily adaptable to mobile,
PC-based training systems that can be rapidly deployed.

A key feature of AWES is its timely, accurate simulation of area weapons
effects. In addition to replicating the "direct fire" from individual weapons
and vehicles, the AWES addition to TES training accurately simulates "indirect"
events such as artillery, mortar fire, smoke, nuclear, biological, chemical
attacks, mines and air-delivered munitions.

Other major enhanced TES components added through the AWES contract include new
soldier and vehicle instrumentation systems and a software-based system for
exercise planning, mission control and After Action Reviews. Participants in the
training exercises are equipped with digital communications that indicate their
position, weapons fired and casualty status.

"The integration of indirect threats and 100 percent participant instrumentation
and position tracking into the UK`s combat training exercises is the primary
differentiator that sets AWES apart from all other systems in use today," said
Gary Shrock, CDA vice president, International Ground Combat Training Systems.
"In addition, AWES is the first major combat training center to fully outfit and
instrument its individual soldiers with Cubic`s laser-based MILES 2000 and
position tracking system."

AWES integrates portions of the British Army`s existing Direct Fire Weapons
Engagement System (DFWES) with MILES 2000 - an advanced TES system that allows
soldiers to fire "laser" bullets from the same weapons they`d use in combat. The
DFWES components, provided by Saab, are mounted on combat vehicles and work in
conjunction with Cubic-developed GPS-based instrumentation and tracking systems.

The AWES equipment allows analysts to graphically track the vehicles and
soldiers in near-real time on sophisticated computer-generated maps located in
the Exercise Control Center. (EXCON). The system also captures and records the
players` casualty status, including "hits," "misses" and "kills," and sends the
information to the EXCON for real-time training analysis.

The casualty status of the individual soldiers is provided by MILES 2000. The
soldiers are each equipped with MILES 2000 helmet arrays and vests studded with
laser detectors, and weapons mounted with laser transmitters. The soldiers`
laser transmitters fire laser pulses at targets upon detection of the detonation
of blank rounds fired during simulated battles.

The recorded information is reviewed during AARs, which are conducted in either
a stationary theater or two mobile theaters in the field. The AARs allow
commanders to see accurately and first-hand those areas where troops performed
well, as well as areas that need to be improved.

The two AWES sites feature three buildings for exercise control and logistics
support, and seven infrastructure towers filled with electronic communication
monitoring and control equipment.

Future plans for AWES include the addition of mobile training capabilities and
the integration of the new Bowman radio communication system. AWES is also
designed to support future interoperability with the Helicopter Collective
Training System and the Rangeless Airborne Instrumented Debriefing System.

The Cubic Defense Applications group, one of Cubic`s two major segments,
provides realistic combat training systems for military forces as well as
simulation training, force transformation assistance, educational services,
operations & maintenance, and manufacturing services. The group also supplies
products and systems for C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers,
Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance) applications, search and rescue
avionics and radio communications for military and civil markets. The
corporation`s other major segment, Cubic Transportation Systems, designs and
manufactures automatic fare collection systems for public mass transit
authorities. For more information about Cubic, see the company`s Web site at
www.cubic.com.

SOURCE: Cubic Corp.
 
aus der Diskussion: aggressiv kaufen
Autor (Datum des Eintrages): frank55  (22.07.03 19:30:13)
Beitrag: 84 von 135 (ID:10187952)
Alle Angaben ohne Gewähr © wallstreetONLINE