Lockheed Martin locks in deal for Army trainer

Lockheed Martin Corp. won a $30 million contract for the Army's fiscal 2005 Close Combat Tactical Trainer program, the company said today.

The program is part of the Combat Arms Tactical Trainer family of virtual trainers. It is comprised of computer-driven combat vehicle simulators and emulator workstations that operate interactively over local and wide area networks.

Lockheed Martin supplies the Army with program equipment to train soldiers in various combat vehicles including M1A1 and M1A2 tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles and Humvees.

Lockheed Martin won the initial program development contract in 1992 and started full production in 1999. The system is produced in Orlando, Fla.

"This contract builds on our past support to [the Close Combat Tactical Trainer program], which consists of designing and building simulators for the Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles used by the Army," said Dan Crowley, president of Lockheed Martin's simulation, training and support division. "This is one of many simulation programs that are directly aiding the warfighter in Afghanistan and Iraq. We also believe that CCTT is providing soldiers realistic training enabling them to adapt more quickly to the combat environment."

Through computer workstations the CCTT system adds logistics, artillery, mortar and aviation units to a synthetic battlefield depicting real-world terrain. The warfighters can move, shoot and communicate on this battlefield by operating with or riding inside combat vehicles and using simulated weapons systems.

The system also allows commanders to train their unit's collective tasks in different virtual environments, such as day and night and varying visibility conditions, together with selectable enemy capability and skill levels.

Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin employs approximately 130,000 people worldwide and had 2003 revenue of $31.8 billion. It is No. 1 on Washington Technology's 2004 Top 100 list of prime federal contractors.